Marginal

Marginal We are Marginal, transdisciplinary collective with focus on art & science / technology.

Visited BUCA Herbarium at Institute of Biology Bucharest with as part of research into the medicinal plants edelweiss a...
28/07/2026

Visited BUCA Herbarium at Institute of Biology Bucharest with as part of research into the medicinal plants edelweiss and smoke tree. I even saw the hairs on edelweiss that attract pollinators to their tiny flowers under the microscope. Many specimens were over 100 years old. Curated by Marginal Sabina Suru

When environments turn hostile, plants don't just sit there - they alter their internal chemistry to survive. Through se...
24/07/2026

When environments turn hostile, plants don't just sit there - they alter their internal chemistry to survive. Through secondary metabolism, they produce specific compounds to protect themselves from predators, harsh weather, or pollution.

In the lab, Alexandra Ciocan and Anna Dumitriu are exposing smoketree and edelweiss callus cultures to different environmental stressors. Their collaborative research explores how nature rewrites its own biology to cope with a changing world.

Alexandra Ciocan () is a PhD researcher at IBIOL - Institute of Biology Bucharest in the field of Plant Biology, whose work focuses on plant secondary metabolism, applying plant biotechnology, biochemical and molecular biology techniques in order to explore how plants adapt to environmental changes.

Anna Dumitriu (𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀 𝐃𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐔) is a pioneering British artist who works with BioArt, sculpture, installation, and digital media to explore our relationship with nature and technology, focussing on infectious diseases, synthetic biology, AI and robotics.

Photos 3, 6: Anna Dumitriu
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Part of Otherwise Residency 

Partners: Institutul de Biologie București | 2Celsius - Metanul Contează | Clean Air Task Force |

Co-financed by The Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN) AFCN

The project does not necessarily represent the position of The Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding recipient.

How about capturing energy directly from your surroundings? Join an energy harvesting workshop facilitated by Lorena Coc...
21/07/2026

How about capturing energy directly from your surroundings?

Join an energy harvesting workshop facilitated by Lorena Cocora where you will build your own energy-harvesting device and learn how to transform sunlight, temperature differences, and movement into electric current.

📅 August 2, 15:00 - 17:00

📍 !T - A space for IT - Timisoara (str. Bolintineanu no. 1 - ELBA)

You don’t need any technical experience, just curiosity. Save your spot here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScw-4c57Tb4yqSKeicjbDY-vHgU-eCowoOvupGk2KPpurN5zA/viewform
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This activity is part of the "Unplugged?" project and is funded by the City of Timișoara through the Center for Projects and also sponsored by CTP

Partners: !T - A space for IT, Projekt Atol, V2_, Sci Public Forum, OBLIK SRL, Simultan Association, Faculty of Arts and Design - WUT, Radio Guerilla, Revista Arta, Radio România Cultural, Scena9, Zile și nopți

Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) over 80 times that of CO2 on a 20-year ho...
30/06/2026

Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) over 80 times that of CO2 on a 20-year horizon. Romania, as one of the EU’s largest oil and fossil gas producers, possesses a legacy infrastructure prone to significant emissions - unintentional leaks from valves, connectors, and abandoned wells - as well as voluntary releases and flaring of gas. Recent campaigns by Clean Air Task Force (CATF) and 2Celsius have utilized Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) to reveal worrying levels of methane pollution from the wellheads, all the way to the Romanian neighborhoods.

Dominika Glogowski is an artist and art historian (dr. phil.) based in Vienna. She pursues both theoretical and practice-led research on technopolitical networks, extraction, underground infrastructures, and the energy transition.

Mihai Stoica (energy policy influencer, 2Celsius) and Théophile Humann-Guilleminot (OGI specialist, CATF) are analyzing leaks from oil and gas installations in the context of the new European methane regulations. Their collaborative research makes these invisible emissions visible, showing how infrastructure failures impact our immediate environment, and questioning where responsibility lies.
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Part of Otherwise Residency
Partners: Institutul de Biologie București - @ | 2Celsius - Metanul Contează | Clean Air Task Force |

Co-financed by The Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN) AFCN

The project does not necessarily represent the position of The Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding recipient.

Photo credit for picture 3: Dominika Glogowski.
Other photos: marginal.ro

Exploring the urban neighborhoods gardens with:  .suru .ciobota.7 .mihai.andrei ~ratusca_fericita ~baby_ratus...
01/06/2026

Exploring the urban neighborhoods gardens with: 

.suru .ciobota.7 .mihai.andrei ~ratusca_fericita ~baby_ratusca ~bufnita_imbufnata

Photos by: Hennigh-Palermo Westley Argentum -
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Part of The Urban Green Blueprint - co-financed by The Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN)

The project does not necessarily represent the position of The Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding recipient.

Observing the observers - , alongside .ciobota.7 and from , during fieldwork in Bucharest's residential gardens for The...
22/05/2026

Observing the observers - , alongside .ciobota.7 and from , during fieldwork in Bucharest's residential gardens for The Urban Green Blueprint project.

It is surprising how many public benches still exist here, and how much they are actually used. While so many cities are going in the opposite direction, making it harder and harder to spend time in public places. These benches remain simple invitations to pause. 

That act of stopping opens up the core idea of this project: there are countless species that go unnoticed in our neighborhoods. If we take a moment to observe, we get to meet some really remarkable neighbors, especially if we pay attention to the morning chorus of birds.

But it all depends on how we build our green spaces. Yesterday's encounter with a Common Nightingale is a clear example. While it is a common presence in Bucharest, you only get to observe it in specific residential areas that have kept their bushes and richer vegetation. 

Cities remain alive, but they require a certain kind of architecture to stay that way. Sometimes, all it takes to understand a neighborhood is to sit on a bench and listen to who else lives there.

Photos: 1-3 & 5 - Wes Hennigh-Palermo; 4 - Mihaela Ciobotă
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Cultural project co-financed by The Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN)

The project does not necessarily represent the position of The Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding recipient.

OPEN CALL for Marginal Storytellers >>> The Urban Green Blueprint 🌿🏙️ We are looking for 3 Bucharest-based creators (jou...
05/05/2026

OPEN CALL for Marginal Storytellers >>> The Urban Green Blueprint 🌿🏙️

We are looking for 3 Bucharest-based creators (journalists, storytellers, researchers or visual artists) to join The Urban Green Blueprint – interested in environmental issues, interdisciplinary storytelling, and moving beyond data visualization towards knowledge production.

The selected participants will work alongside 4 artists and 4 researchers from the Institute of Biology Bucharest and 2Celsius documenting the "behind the scenes" of the project through process journalism and personal narratives.

We are looking for subjective lenses to translate complex data into engaging stories about dark diversity, landscape amnesia, and our more-than-human neighbors.

Apply until May 15 → link in bio

Possible directions:
🧪 Gonzo & Process Journalism – unfiltered field diaries & essays.
📹 Ecomediality – native video content, Reels & micro-documentaries.
📸 Visual Narratives – investigative photography & visual experiments.
🎙️ Audio Diaries – raw interviews & soundscapes from the field.

Details:
📍 Location: Bucharest
⏳ Duration: May – August 2026.
💰 Fee: 3.000 LEI (before taxes).
🚀 Access: Direct contact with researchers, artists, and scientific infrastructure.
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Cultural project co-financed by The Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN)

The project does not necessarily represent the position of The Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding recipient.


20/03/2026

OPEN CALL >>> Otherwise Residency 2026 🌍🔥
Anthropogenic methane fugitive emissions within Romania’s energy infrastructure.

We seek 1 artist to join the second edition of Otherwise Residency, a practice-based research residency program engaging with environmental issues, at the intersection of art, science and policy making.

The selected artist will collaborate with researchers from the Clean Air Task Force and 2Celsius, working with thermographic imaging, field measurements, and scientific datasets to explore what methane leaks reveal about infrastructures, policies, and environmental accountability.

Apply until April 15 → link in first comment

The residency includes ~3 weeks onsite work in Romania between June–October 2026 (Bucharest + selected field sites), followed by a public showcase in Bucharest.

The selected artist receives a €3000 stipend + production budget.
Travel, accommodation, and per diem are covered.

Open to mid-career artists based in Europe, working with interdisciplinary research practices.

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Cultural project co-financed by The Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN)

The project does not necessarily represent the position of The Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding recipient.

>OPEN CALL< Unplugged? 🔌⛓️‍💥No bottomless grid. No next-gen batteries. No infinite growth.Marginal, V2_, and Projekt ...
23/02/2026

>OPEN CALL< Unplugged? 🔌⛓️‍💥
No bottomless grid. No next-gen batteries. No infinite growth.

Marginal, V2_, and Projekt Atol invites artists, technologists, and designers to work within the premises of permacomputing: Energy is finite. Systems fail. Growth has limits. Now what?

We’re looking for 10 projects engaging with post-energy thinking. Not greener tech myths. Not shinier batteries. But grounded, critical, operational alternatives.

Apply until March 9th → links in first comment

Each participant receives a €1500 stipend + additional production budget (discussed individually).
Open to artists and designers working critically at the intersection of art and technology, based in Europe.

The residency will involve a hybrid format → online sessions + on-site co-creation in Bucharest RO.
More details on our website.

🌿 That’s a wrap on Hush Glitches at CNDB! ✨For two nights, we blurred the line between organism and algorithm, between s...
16/12/2025

🌿 That’s a wrap on Hush Glitches at CNDB! ✨

For two nights, we blurred the line between organism and algorithm, between sensors and sensibility, as we translated Alexandra Necula's physiological input into live reaction of the endemic plants' digital twins, and generative music from Andrei Raicu.

Thank you to everyone who stepped into this live laboratory and helped us expand our proposal for a more-than-human dialogue. The plants certainly had their say.

Stay tuned - we’ll be sharing the full research breakdown soon.

More info: marginal.ro/project/hush-glitches/

Photo credit: Alina Ușurelu .na.floresta

🔴 Team
Concept:
Performer: .necula
Choreography: , Alexandra Necula
Music: Andrei Raicu
Scientific Research: ,
3D Modelling & Animation: .child,
Interaction Design: ,
Scientific Support: , Sorin Ștefănuț
Artistic Support: , Mirela Vlad, .suru

Partners: Bucharest Institute of Biology - , , , .ro, ,

Co-financed by the Timișoara City Hall through the Project Center, and the Administration of the National Cultural Fund.
The project does not necessarily represent the position of The Administration of the National Cultural Fund. The Administration of the National Cultural Fund is not responsible for the content of the project or the manner in which the results of the project may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding recipient.

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