The Vampire Study Group is the home of interdisciplinary, conceptual art projects that take form in sculptures, films, performances and writings. Vampire Study Group works are research-based science and art experiments; and speculative fictions dealing with themes of life, death, and biotechnology. VSG projects look at the body, the biological manipulation of life, and sometimes present a dystopic view of the future of the human species. Dark, dark, dark.
The Vampire Study Group is an ongoing eclectic umbrella for the investigation of queer science and life studies. VSG research considers the possible extinction of the human species, and current developments in human immunology and reproduction. The VSG uses homoeroticism, blood-letting, animal studies and queer science as the vehicle to create its stories.
In the near future, the Vampire Study Group will add a publishing arm to its activities. VSG will produce artist essays dealing with themes around death, chimeras, and other topics related to the mission of VSG. These VSG artist books will be “small” publications, or pocket books—good for trading with friends and will make excellent travel companions and bedside buddies.
Kathy High is the Director of VSG and welcomes questions and comments: kittyhigh [at] earthlink [dot] net
Death Down Under
Shot in Western Australia, Death Down Under is a documentary about death and decay following the sometimes gruesome forensic work of fashion designer, Pia Interlandi, and Professor Ian Dadour, Head of Forensic Science at the University of Western Australia.
Blood Wars
Blood Wars is a project examining the initial frontier of the human immune system through a competition of white blood cells. In the Blood Wars a tournament pits people’s white blood cells against each other, documented using stop motion microscopy.
Visit Blood Wars
Rat Laughter
“Rat Laughter” short for "Can rats communicate their level of wellbeing through ultrasonic emissions? – measuring rat laughter in the lab," is a project conducted by Kathy High, as a SymbioticA artist-in-residence. “Rat Laughter” uses ultrasonic rat vocalization in a laboratory setting to capture contented rat utterances to make a concert of such sounds. (This is a project-in-progress...more to come...)