Chau-Marie Griffiths, Digital Arts and New Media, University of California, Santa Cruz, cgriffit@ucsc.edu
Glow is the representation of the luminescence of living beings when they engage in conversation. Powered by the recent developments made by biologist Professor Bonnie Bassler, Princeton University, in marine bacterium; this visual installation will convey to the viewers and participants the interconnectivity that occurs through conversation.
The idea for this work was born out of the fascination that I have with Science and Art. I seek to combine the two to create and foster better understanding of the scientific material to the general public by creating interactive installations that are informative and engaging for the participants and viewers. Beginning with creating an installation space that will measure and document the energy level within that space, based in part, by the conversations of its inhabitants. Using the energy data collected in the space and converting through another database into light represented by aura or luminescent panels that surround the space. This installation space will also include a bioluminescent bacteria room that would document that bacteria generate energy exactly the same as humans. This data would be projected onto panels so that the viewers would correlate that the luminescence of living beings engaged in conversation is so similar that it would give the viewer a sense of connection between themselves as living beings and bacteria as living beings. Overall giving a feeling of a greater connection to the universe.
To accomplish this, the project must start out with a collaborative relationship between Science and Art. I will use myself as an instrument of the discipline of Art and seek out other individual(s) in the discipline of Science to start the process with.
• I will seek a researcher in the Marine Biology departments at University of California to obtain the scientific experience that I believe I need to create viability to this project. We will also seek advisement from Professor Bassler.
• I will seek a researcher in the Engineering departments at University of California to help develop luminescent fabric panels that can illuminate based on computer generated information that is collected from the inhabitants inside the structure and help design the structures.
• I will seek a researcher in the Computer Science departments at the University of California to help develop or find the computer programs needed to collect data and translate the data into light, as well as capture the bioluminescence of bacteria, in real time, and work as a communicator between humans and bacteria.
• I will seek a researcher in the Film and Digital Media departments at the University of California to help develop the technology for projecting the bioluminescence of the marine bacterium.
• I will seek advisement from the Theatre Art departments at the University of California to help create an effective presentation in regards to the installation and light correlation.
• I will seek out other artists working and researching the Science and Art connection to solicit their work to be part of a major exhibition that I will co-curate with an institution (to be named later) and possibly fund through grants and commercial backers such as AT&T (marketing commercial value of funding an exhibition about communication).
The collaboration of all of these individuals would culminate in the final installation to be shown as part of traveling exhibition on “The Art and Science Connection” to major Art and Science museums across the country and would include, but not limited to, such institutions as the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, P.S.1 Contemporary in Queens, NY, The Chicago Institute of Science, the Exploratorium in San Francisco, CA., the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, CA, Palais du Tokyo, Paris, the Uffzizi Gallery, Italy, the National Science Museum, Tokyo, The Tate Modern, Britain.
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