Hidden Environment

Most microorganisms are known to us, but can’t be easily seen. If we approach them in a respectful way, they might just reveal their hidden world to us. Interact with this aquarium and discover the wonders of Pyrocystis Fusiformis.

Concept

Hidden Environment is an analog installation which enables the interaction between humans and microorganisms called Pyrocistis Fusiformis. These organisms are found in marine waters and have the property of glowing in the dark when disturbed. Rather than creating disturbances to make them glow in unusual ways, this installation attempts to find a respectful way in which humans can approach them.

Driven by my own memories of interacting with them at the beach, I looked at nature as inspiration for the development of this artwork. The rain is an example of a healthy disturbance that occurs naturally: it disturbs the water enough to make the organisms glow, but nourish them at the same time. In a similar fashion, humans can drip water and nutrients on them and see them glowing in return.

Structure

The materials used for this installation were the following:

30cm x 20cm x 20cm aquarium
Flask with appropriate medium
- 2L Water
- 71g Red Sea Salt
- 15ml f/2 medium
Pipettes
Black light lamp

The installation was built around a shelf on the wall. The population of algae was put inside the aquarium, with the medium flask right next to it. Inside the flask, I put a pipette, pointing the viewers to the interaction. The room needed to be dark in order for the algae to glow, so I used a black light lamp on the floor underneath the shelf in to order to signal the installation.

The installation was open from 17h to 19h30 on the first three days of the Summaery 2019, which was the time of the day when the algae would glow the most. The users were supposed to take a few drops of the medium and drip it on top of the aquarium, so the organisms would glow. During the whole exhibition, I was next to the installation instructing the visitors on how to interact, and explaining what the project was about. I did not restrict the amount of medium each visitor could drop, but I intervened when I noticed a visitor was taking too long.

Reception

Overall, the public's reception of the installation was very positive. Almost all of the visitors were very surprised, some even impressed, when they saw the algae glowing. Many people were interested in knowing more about the organisms, such as where they could be found or how to be able to get a sample. The idea of mutual respect between humans and microorganisms was also captivating to some, which were excited about the idea that they might be somehow feeding them.

Unfortunately, I noticed that the algae populations did not recover well after the exhibition. Even two weeks after, they have not been glowing as strongly. My hypotheses are that the exposure to the open air and the hands-on interaction might have contaminated the population and hindered their health, or that their light and darkness cycles were too disturbed. Though I came up with a strong concept and tried to approach them in most respectful way I could think, I am afraid that I might have caused them more harm than good. In the end, this experience has taught me much more than I had previously thought, about the responsibility of dealing with living organisms, which have their own cycles and needs.