ORGANISMUS MANIFESTO
Installation, Summaery19
In this installation, a communication with the organism Physarum Polycephalum is established through light, used as a medium to convey the message; first the information is translated into morse code, and then delivered to the organism using light signals that will pass through the petri dishes and the nourishing medium. The installation consist on a small surface with an integrated light system and living samples placed on top of it, creating a translating device that aims to establish a conversation between human and the organisms.
"Organismus Manifesto" is a draft manifest that tries to tackle the controversial use of living organisms in technological and research fields, and presents some controversial points such as organism rights or exploitation. It tries to reflect the possible questions that might arise when using alive organisms in connection to human and computational machines.
Manifesto
The dignity of all organisms is inviolable; to respect and protect it is the obligation of all subjects.
Every organism has the right to freedom of expression, that shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless the frontiers.
All organisms have the right to public assemble without previous registration, permission or deprivation of liberty.
Every organism shall have the right of freedom of thought, conscience and belief, either alone or in communities, in public or private, and in worship, teaching practice or observance.
All organisms are equal before the law, and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.
Every organism shall have the right to recognition everywhere as a judicable organism before the law.
Ongoing process
9. July 2019 - Poster and manifest are printed out
The posters are printed out, as well as shields for the installation room (Marienstraße 7, 204).
6. July 2019 - The device translates, this time fine!
The changes on the circuit are made, now the arduino board is powered from the power bank and the LED stripes directly through a 5m log wire from the power supply, using a phone charger adaptor.
2. July 2019 - The device translates, but sill presents some problems
All the wiring for the LEDs stripes and arduino installation is done. The first idea is to power up the whole installation through the arduino board, the LEDs consumption is too hight tough. The LEDs just light up for a few seconds and then turn off or present a random behaviour. The LED striped must be powered up directly from the power bank, sharing the ground with the arduino board.
27. June 2019 - The morse translating device is built already!
The device used to transfer the manifest to PP through light morse code is built; a laser cutting machine is used to cut from a 3mm mdf plate all the different pieces. The device is attached to the legs, stained in black. The wiring and arduino installation is not yet done.
19. June 2019 - Organism's Manifesto
First draft of the organismus manifesto. It will be read to Physarum Polycephalum through the morse code device created with arduino and led stripes.
1. June 2019 - Talking to Physarum through morse code
Started prototyping a device that will translate given messages to morse code, with a light output (LED stripes), that will be placed beneath the petridishes containing samples of Physarum Polycephalum. The arduino code and circuit works already on its first version. An enclosure must be built for next week.
The messages are yet to be determined, but some conceptual questions arise;
-could we establish some kind of communication with Physarum trough light pulses?
-how would PP react to different messages?
-would it make any different to retransmit aggressive/kind messages?
-would PP react differently to those messages?
-which role plays here the blinking pace of the light? which parameter should set the pace then?
-which role plays here the colour of the light? which parameter should set the colour then?
-should also the message be translated into morse sound?
15. May 2019 - First prototypes for the installation
First prototype "bioDJ - symbiosis table"
First prototype "Pyrocystis Fusiformis show"
LOGBOOK
20. May 2019
Some coloured oats are placed on the petridishes, hoping that when the Plycephalum is fed with color, it will take it into the plasmodium and change its own. A timelapse video was taken. Also some samples of Polycephalum and Nose-microbiota sample are placed on new petridishes.
15. May 2019
New samples of Physarum where placed on Agar medium. Also a sample of Armillaria Gallica was moved to a petri dish in MYAP medium, cause the existing petri dish was showing signs of contamination.
8. May 2019
Beautiful mistakes... all the physarum samples present some kind contamination. Also the petridishes with Armillaria Gallica show contamination, but also shows the sample grew quite a lot. The samples taken from the nose microbiota look just amazing.
Armillaria Gallica sample
Armillaria Gallica sample
Armillaria Gallica sample
Nose microbiota sample
Nose microbiota sample
Nose microbiota sample
30. April 2019
Physarum Polycephalum samples present contamination and some kind of "hairy" elements. I changed the petri dishes, hoping that some samples will survive. Also some new samples of Armillaria Gallica are placed on new fresh petri dishes.
Physarum Policephalum sample
Physarum Policephalum sample
Physarum Policephalum sample
Physarum Policephalum sample
26. April 2019
Introductory course; getting to know the lab, the tools and the procedures.
We cooked some agar and PDYP medium, and planted the first samples of Physarum Polycephalum and Armillaria Gallica, as well as some samples of nose and mouth microbiote.
Armillaria Gallica
Physarum Polycephalum
Also learnt how to use the microscopes and how to connect it to the camera/PC, and took a peek at the dancing Euglenas. I also took some cool pics of Armillaria Gallica and another unknown sample with the phone using the microscope.
Armillaria Gallica
Armillaria Gallica
Unknown sample
Unknown sample
Euglena
Found some documentation for complete beginners in the lab, how to proceed when cooking medium, sterelization and techniques for growing fungi and bacteria. Also found a "Physarum care sheet".
File:Techniques-for-Studying-Bacteria-and-Fungi.pdf
File:Physarum_care sheet.pdf
24. April 2019
Arduino, organisms and feedback; could we connect the Arduino microcontroller to a cucumber on a closed loop, where the resistance is somehow determined by the current passed at the same time by two pins connected to the same vegetable? create a close loop?
17. April 2019
First contact with the Biolab. We were given some exemplars of dinoflagellates pyrocystis fusiformis and learnt how to cook the adequate medium for them.
Cgf
Carlos García Fernández
www.carlosgarciafernandez.com