GMU:Growing microorganisms for bioart projects SoSe24 / Lidya / Blob: Difference between revisions

The video artwork ''Blob'', produced for the "Beyond the Screens" project module under the guidance of Reinhard König for the City Digital Skin Art Festival (CDSA), is a collaborative effort by Amna Chaudhry, Torben Zsagar, and Dicle Lidya Çolak.

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“The "Beyond the Screens" project module explores the potential of large-scale urban screens and media facades as platforms for visualizing ecological processes, aiming to make climate change tangible, visible, and experiential in public spaces. The project challenges the anthropocentric viewpoint by asking how we can design environments that recognize the needs and dynamics of non-human organisms, extending beyond human understanding and interests. By mapping, tracking, and narrating interactions within urban ecologies, the project seeks to give a voice to beyond-human species, using digital screens and media architecture to bridge the gap between art, science, and technology.”

For our investigation, an environment was prepared for ''Physarum polycephalum''—commonly known as "Blob"—a microscopic organism frequently used in bioart due to its similarities to human social behavior. This experiment allowed Blob to rediscover the city of Hamburg, where the selected screen is located. By viewing the city through the perspective of a non-human actor, we aimed to examine its past and future, moving beyond the human-centered transformations that have shaped Hamburg over time.

The project aims to explore how urban screens can serve as ecological visualization zones, making climate change perceptible and experiential to the public. By engaging a non-human actor like Blob, the project seeks to reimagine urban environments, highlighting the often-overlooked dynamics of non-human organisms. Our goal is to create a narrative that informs and inspires a re-evaluation of humanity's relationship with the natural world, fostering greater public awareness at the crossroads of art, science, and technology.

In order to make the artwork more impactful, we chose to maintain a strong connection to the city context. Our intention was for participants to engage with a work that directly reflects the location they are in, as they view it on the screen. To achieve this, we analyzed the historical development of Hamburg within the region surrounding the Elbphilharmonie building. Blob follows the city’s growth along a historical timeline and, at a certain point, begins to determine how the city will evolve in the future.[[File:Figure1.jpg|center|400x400px|frameless|'''<small>Man-Made Cubic Structures /</small>''' '''<small>Human vs. Nature</small>''' '''<small>/</small>''' '''<small>Survival of the Fittest</small>''']]'''<small>Man-Made Cubic Structures /</small>''' '''<small>Human vs. Nature</small>''' '''<small>/</small>''' '''<small>Survival of the Fittest</small>'''[[File:Figure2.jpg|center|frameless|400x400px|Content made by: Dicle Lidya Çolak]]'''<small>Organic Folding Evolving Structures /</small>''' '''<small>Human with Nature</small>''' '''<small>/</small>''' '''<small>Coevolution</small>'''

The ''Blob'' project is rooted in the exploration of humanity's relationship with nature, particularly focusing on themes of rebirth, consumption, and the cyclical nature of life. By replacing the human actor with ''Physarum polycephalum'' (Blob), the project shifts the narrative from a human-centered perspective to one that considers the agency and behavior of a non-human organism. The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, a symbol of architectural evolution and adaptation, serves as the starting point for this exploration. Through Blob’s movements and interactions within the city, the project reveals how urban environments can be understood and shaped by non-human actors, challenging conventional design practices and encouraging a rethinking of human impact on nature.

<small>Content made by: Torben Zsagar & Dicle Lidya Çolak</small>

<small>Editing made by: Amna Chaudhry</small>

[File:Sequence 02 blob.gif|center|frameless|400x400px]]

<small>Editing made by: Amna Chaudhry</small>

[[File:Sequence 3 blob.gif|center|frameless|400x400px]]<small>Content made by: Torben Zsagar</small>

As Blob continues to move, it leaves traces of itself behind, marking these points as memories. These traces signify areas that are no longer suitable for the Blob, preventing it from revisiting them. However, in leaving these marks, Blob disrupts the environment, transforming the texture of the city. The familiar pattern of Hamburg becomes undefined, symbolizing the dissolution of human-centric urban structures and the emergence of a new, undefined landscape shaped by non-human agency.

[[File:Sequence 04 blob.gif|center|frameless|400x400px]]<small>Content made by: Dicle Lidya Çolak</small>

As it moves, Blob encounters challenges, undergoes transformations, and occasionally retreats to new areas, only to repeat the cycle. This phase reflects the cyclical nature of life, where growth and decay are intertwined, and where the search for a sustainable future is ongoing but fraught with obstacles.

Rebirth and Transformation: The project emphasizes the need for humanity to rethink its relationship with nature. By replacing the human with Blob, the project illustrates how urban environments might evolve if guided by non-human perspectives. The transformation of the city into an undefined space speaks to the possibility of rebirth and the potential for a more harmonious coexistence between human-made and natural environments.

Non-Human Agency: By focusing on Blob, the project challenges the anthropocentric view that has dominated urban design and development. It calls attention to the importance of considering non-human actors in shaping the future of our cities, advocating for a more inclusive and sustainable approach to design.

To enable the Blob to replicate the historical growth of Hamburg up to the present day, we began by analyzing the city’s population density distribution from its earliest settlement to the present. Understanding how Hamburg had developed over time was crucial for guiding the Blob's growth and enabling it to simulate potential future expansion.

'''Step 1 - Initial Placement''': The Blob was initially placed on the site representing the Elbphilharmonie building in the petri dish. To simulate the settlement depicted in the first diagram, dating back to the 1300s, food sources were strategically positioned to help orient and sustain the Blob’s growth.[[File:Figure 12.jpg|frameless|300x300px|center]]'''Step 2 - Two Days of Growth''': Over the course of two days, the Blob fully explored the designated settlement area, effectively replicating the development of Hamburg up to the 1300s.[[File:Figure12.jpg|frameless|301x301px|center]]'''Step 3 - First Food Replacement''': To simulate Hamburg’s growth between 1300 and 1892, a second set of food sources was introduced in the laboratory. This placement followed the population density diagram from the 1892 map.[[File:Figure 13.jpg|frameless|301x301px|center]]'''Step 4 - Eight Days of Growth''': Within eight days, the Blob expanded to cover the areas corresponding to the population density of Hamburg in 1892.[[File:Figure16.jpg|frameless|301x301px|center]]'''Step 5 - Second Food Replacement''': The final set of food sources was introduced based on the dense urban fabric map from 2018, representing the present-day population distribution of Hamburg.[[File:Figure15.jpg|frameless|300x300px|center]]'''Step 6 - Sixteen Days of Growth''': At this stage, the Blob was no longer guided by external intervention. Instead, it was left to determine the future overpopulation and consumption scenario of the city on its own. The experiment continued until the 16th day, when the Blob began to weaken due to stress, marking the end of the timelapse.[[File:Figure 17.jpg|frameless|300x300px|center]]'''<small>11 days of growth            </small>''' [[File:Figure 19.jpg|frameless|300x300px|center]]'''<small>14 days of growth              </small>'''[[File:Figure 20.jpg|frameless|300x300px|center]]'''<small>16 days of growth</small>'''

The process of cultivating the Blob required careful attention and time to ensure strong and visible growth. Over three weeks, photos were taken every 15 minutes to document the Blob's growth. The project aimed to align the Blob’s growth with a symbolic timeline reflecting Hamburg’s historical expansion from the 1300s to the present. This approach allowed the Blob’s growth pattern to mimic the city’s development, adding a deeper layer of meaning to the visual narrative. However, the process was not without challenges, as the risk of contamination could lead to mold formation in the Petri dish, potentially compromising the results.[[File:Figure 22.jpg|center|frameless|267x267px]]

[[File:Sequence 1 timelapse.gif|center|frameless|400x400px]]<small>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7vDehMDgdI&list=PLdUPcma_TIKAQtHGJT5HqQPzl3DyyC90i</small>[[File:Sequence 2 timelapse.gif|center|frameless|400x400px]]<small>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJEMDSNxfdg&list=PLdUPcma_TIKAQtHGJT5HqQPzl3DyyC90i&index=3</small>

'''"Future in a Petri Dish":''' The project's ideation began with the concept of using primitive organisms like ''Physarum polycephalum'' to explore how a non-human perspective could influence urban development. The idea was to allow these creatures, which act purely on instinct, to process environmental inputs and take action in a way unclouded by human ego. The steps involved in this process were:

'''"Man-Nahāta" by Neri Oxman:''' The project draws significant inspiration from Neri Oxman’s ''Man-Nahata'', a visionary exploration of the synergy between Manhattan’s cultural diversity and Mannahatta’s natural ecosystems. Oxman’s work proposes a future where urban and natural environments are balanced harmoniously, transitioning from a human-centric to a nature-centric landscape.