A World Made by Science (2018) is a photo-and text-based work produced for The Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art (RIBOCA). The body of work provides connections between the science of nanoparticles and wider social concerns beyond the laboratory. In twenty images, thework explores themes including the changing conditions of what it means to be human in an era of science and technology, and points toward some of the great challenges of contemporary society. The images in A World Made by Science are drawn from archives at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg as well as from the web and the artist’s own photographs.The work is inspired by the aesthetics of posters and influenced by 1970s documentary exhibitions. Here, Swedish photographer Jens S. Jensen’s working methods and modes of presentation deserves to be mentioned. His work was shown in libraries and public halls, bringing the photographs to a wide audience. Stimulated by such an approach, Hamilton and nano scientist Jonas Hannestad toured around western Sweden with a ‘mobile exhibition’ in 2015. The work that Hamilton developed for the Riga Biennial is based on images and ideas that were first formulated for the mobile exhibition. A World Made by Science sets out to use art as a means of addressing socio-political matters in contemporary society. Hamilton works from the assumption that in a world marked by a growing distrust in established political parties and media, artistic work that engages with the complex political, environmental, financial and technological challenges is indispensable. Informed by feminist science scholars Karen Barad and Donna Haraway, A World Made by Science addresses the technological revolution, political disorder, global challenges, transformation and the science question in feminism. The field of documentary, which is central to Hamilton’s research, is interlinked with questions of truth and representation. Although the 1980s critique of representation is still valuable, she, alongside an array of peers, argues that the subjective position of the photographer is no longer a main point of contestation. Artist Lara Baladi refers to a new trend of political activism that grew out of the political turbulence in the Arab region, where ‘all theories on the subjectivity of photography suddenly became irrelevant’. It is not a denunciation of theories of representation, but rather a sharp signal of a shift in attention: the use of an image is more important than the image itself. To show work in –and make work for –the Riga Biennial involved being exposed to the structures and strategies of a large-scale international art manifestation. The Riga Biennalaspires to take ‘into account criticisms of the proliferation of biennial culture, or ”biennialisation” as it has been called’ aiming to ’create a sustainable model based on best practices that prioritise artists, artistic production and the meticulous presentation and mediation of art.’ Chief curator Katerina Gregos has also commented:”One of the privileges I had was to help conceive of the long-term vision of RIBOCA, and to help make sure that the biennial is set on what we believe are correct, solid, and ethical foundations. I also had the chance to make sure that some major problems such as the economic exploitation of artists or cultural workers—which are so frequent in the art world—were addressed. All artists in RIBOCA, for example, are paid, whether they are showing existing work or a new commission. They receive per diems on top of that—something which should be the norm but isn’t.” https://news.artnet.com/art-world/interview-katerina-gregos-riboca1-1293896 Other artists in the biennial include Trevor Paglen, Mark Dion and Sissel Tolaas. Trevor Paglen has been a reference in Hamilton’s research; he is credited with having coined the term ‘Experimental Geography’, an inter-disciplinary approach not unlike Hamilton’s ‘Experimental Documentary’. When the Riga Biennial was deinstalled in October 2018, A World Made by Science was transported to Sweden, to make up a substantial part of a donation made by the artist to Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. The donation is part of Hamilton’s aspiration to make the work available to audiences outside of the art context. A World Made by Science has a particular relevance in the Chalmers context since much of the visual material originates from there. This particular work was also exhibited as part of the AHA-festival (November 2018) in conjunction with an artist talk by Hamilton alongside the artists Oliver Chanarin and Ida Rödén and professor of rhetoric Mats Rosengren.