Fran Gallardo’s background is in systems engineering. He is a member of the Environmental Art Activism movement.

Fran's work explores interfaces for culture in technology and ecology. In 2015, he lead the Arts Catalyst project Talking Dirty! Tongue First: Experiments at the Mouth of the Thames. This was a series of public events including citizen science workshops, involving local foods, their source, preparation and consumption.

In 2016 he will be the first resident artist at Arts Cataltyst's new Centre for Art Science and Technology in King's Cross. Over this period he will produce a recipe book produced in collaboration with the situated knowledge of South Essex communities, containing instructions for cooking with estuary ingredients: from Thames fish to back garden elderflower cordial. The citizen science workshops investigated the traces of waste disposal on the 'unnatural' nature research of Two Tree Island in Leigh-on-Sea, topics covered included the impact that pollution has on sourcing ingredients.