Medien Wiki - User contributions [en]

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-25T12:37:35Z

Fredblaisb: /* The growth of the project */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour in their natural habitat.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air streams into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]
======''Documentation photos by Frederic Blais-Belanger'' - [[/Photo gallery|More photos here]]======

==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculates the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
The idea originated from questions after the reading of Haraway's book ''Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene''. How do we make kin with the earth-bounded? How can we make human acknowledge other forms of life? With my interests in mediated social relations that I explored in my previous works, I thus aimed to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, to make them both work in symbiosis through an installation.

[[File:First_schemas-01.jpg|150px]] [[File:First_schemas-02.jpg|150px]]
======''Sketches of the first global idea''======

My first challenge was to make sure that both organisms would be pictured on the same level, to avoid this human solipsistic supremacy. The idea of a dance as a social interaction was thus for me a good starting point, since dance breaks the language barrier, is an important part of many cultures and demands a mutual respect from both parties and a constant attention to the partner in order to find a certain synchronism.

[[File:PP_Sketch-01.png|200px]]
======''First schema of the installation''======

The second challenge was to find a way to track the movements of the participant in the dark. If the idea of an infrared camera worked for this point, the fact of having people dancing in a totally dark space was for me something not safe enough. The installation thus turned out to be one with a dimmed spot light on the participant that would ease the technical aspect of motion tracking, as well as making the space safer.

The last challenge came after some experimentations, when I realized that I would have no control over the people experiencing the installation. The algae could get exhausted pretty fast depending on the amount of people and their behaviour. Also, by making the viewer the performer, the installation was for me a little too playful. The idea of a live performer with a dancer came to my mind and was for me a better way of illustrating my first aim: a symbiotic duet formed by the two organisms.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

=='''Final thoughts on a first Biomedia experience'''==
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-25T12:32:29Z

Fredblaisb: /* The technique behind it */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour in their natural habitat.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air streams into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]
======''Documentation photos by Frederic Blais-Belanger'' - [[/Photo gallery|More photos here]]======

==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculates the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
The idea originated from questions after the reading of Haraway's book ''Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene'': How do we make kin with the earth-bounded? How can we make human acknowledge other forms of life. With my interests in mediated social relations that I explored in my previous works, I thus aimed to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, to make them both work in symbiosis through an installation.

[[File:First_schemas-01.jpg|150px]] [[File:First_schemas-02.jpg|150px]]
======''Sketches of the first global idea''======

My first challenge was to make sure that both organism would be on the same level, to avoid this human solipsistic supremacy. The idea of a dance as a social interaction was thus for me a good starting point, since dance breaks the language barrier, is an important part of every culture and demand a mutual respect from both parties and a constant attention to the partner in order to find a certain synchronism.

[[File:PP_Sketch-01.png|200px]]
======''First schema of the installation''======

The second challenge was to find a way to track the movements of the participant in the dark. If the idea of an infrared camera worked for this point, the fact of having people dancing in a totally dark space was for me something not safe enough. The installation thus turned out to be one with a dimmed spot light on the participant that would ease the technical aspect of motion tracking, as well as making the space safer.

The last challenge came after some experimentations, when I realized that I would have no control over the installation, and the algae could get exhausted pretty fast depending on the amount of people and their behaviour. Also, by making the viewer the performer, the installation was for me a little too playful. The idea of a live performer with a dancer came to my mind and was for me a better way of illustrating my first idea: a symbiotic performance between two organisms.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

=='''Final thoughts on a first Biomedia experience'''==
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-25T12:31:11Z

Fredblaisb: /* by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019 */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour in their natural habitat.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air streams into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]
======''Documentation photos by Frederic Blais-Belanger'' - [[/Photo gallery|More photos here]]======

==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculated the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
The idea originated from questions after the reading of Haraway's book ''Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene'': How do we make kin with the earth-bounded? How can we make human acknowledge other forms of life. With my interests in mediated social relations that I explored in my previous works, I thus aimed to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, to make them both work in symbiosis through an installation.

[[File:First_schemas-01.jpg|150px]] [[File:First_schemas-02.jpg|150px]]
======''Sketches of the first global idea''======

My first challenge was to make sure that both organism would be on the same level, to avoid this human solipsistic supremacy. The idea of a dance as a social interaction was thus for me a good starting point, since dance breaks the language barrier, is an important part of every culture and demand a mutual respect from both parties and a constant attention to the partner in order to find a certain synchronism.

[[File:PP_Sketch-01.png|200px]]
======''First schema of the installation''======

The second challenge was to find a way to track the movements of the participant in the dark. If the idea of an infrared camera worked for this point, the fact of having people dancing in a totally dark space was for me something not safe enough. The installation thus turned out to be one with a dimmed spot light on the participant that would ease the technical aspect of motion tracking, as well as making the space safer.

The last challenge came after some experimentations, when I realized that I would have no control over the installation, and the algae could get exhausted pretty fast depending on the amount of people and their behaviour. Also, by making the viewer the performer, the installation was for me a little too playful. The idea of a live performer with a dancer came to my mind and was for me a better way of illustrating my first idea: a symbiotic performance between two organisms.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

=='''Final thoughts on a first Biomedia experience'''==
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-25T11:08:08Z

Fredblaisb: /* The growth of the project */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour found in nature.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air stream into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]
======''Documentation photos by Frederic Blais-Belanger'' - [[/Photo gallery|More photos here]]======

==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculated the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
The idea originated from questions after the reading of Haraway's book ''Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene'': How do we make kin with the earth-bounded? How can we make human acknowledge other forms of life. With my interests in mediated social relations that I explored in my previous works, I thus aimed to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, to make them both work in symbiosis through an installation.

[[File:First_schemas-01.jpg|150px]] [[File:First_schemas-02.jpg|150px]]
======''Sketches of the first global idea''======

My first challenge was to make sure that both organism would be on the same level, to avoid this human solipsistic supremacy. The idea of a dance as a social interaction was thus for me a good starting point, since dance breaks the language barrier, is an important part of every culture and demand a mutual respect from both parties and a constant attention to the partner in order to find a certain synchronism.

[[File:PP_Sketch-01.png|200px]]
======''First schema of the installation''======

The second challenge was to find a way to track the movements of the participant in the dark. If the idea of an infrared camera worked for this point, the fact of having people dancing in a totally dark space was for me something not safe enough. The installation thus turned out to be one with a dimmed spot light on the participant that would ease the technical aspect of motion tracking, as well as making the space safer.

The last challenge came after some experimentations, when I realized that I would have no control over the installation, and the algae could get exhausted pretty fast depending on the amount of people and their behaviour. Also, by making the viewer the performer, the installation was for me a little too playful. The idea of a live performer with a dancer came to my mind and was for me a better way of illustrating my first idea: a symbiotic performance between two organisms.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

=='''Final thoughts on a first Biomedia experience'''==
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

File:PP Sketch-01.png

2019-02-25T10:56:04Z

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File:First schemas-02.jpg

2019-02-25T10:34:00Z

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File:First schemas-01.jpg

2019-02-25T10:33:58Z

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GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-25T10:26:48Z

Fredblaisb: /* Final Thoughts on a first Biomedia experience */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour found in nature.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air stream into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]
======''Documentation photos by Frederic Blais-Belanger'' - [[/Photo gallery|More photos here]]======

==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculated the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
For this project, I wanted to create a platform where ''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' and the viewer would be able to socially interact by the forms of sound and dance. Navigating Donna Haraway idea of making kin with the Earth-bounded, I aimed to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, and making them both work in symbiosis.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

=='''Final thoughts on a first Biomedia experience'''==
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger/Photo gallery

2019-02-25T08:34:55Z

Fredblaisb: Created page with "==Photos of the live performance on February 21st 2019.== ;Performer: Hannah Re ;Photography: Judith Hirsch Fotografie. <gallery> File:Performing_Polyphony-JudithHirschFotogra..."

==Photos of the live performance on February 21st 2019.==
;Performer: Hannah Re
;Photography: Judith Hirsch Fotografie.
<gallery>
File:Performing_Polyphony-JudithHirschFotografie-6.jpg
File:Performing_Polyphony-JudithHirschFotografie-1.jpg
File:Performing_Polyphony-JudithHirschFotografie-13.jpg
File:Performing_Polyphony-JudithHirschFotografie-12.jpg
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File:Performing_Polyphony-JudithHirschFotografie-7.jpg
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File:Performing_Polyphony-JudithHirschFotografie-9.jpg
File:Performing_Polyphony-JudithHirschFotografie-8.jpg
File:Performing_Polyphony-JudithHirschFotografie-5.jpg
File:Performing_Polyphony-JudithHirschFotografie-10.jpg
File:Performing_Polyphony-JudithHirschFotografie-11.jpg
File:Performing_Polyphony-JudithHirschFotografie-2.jpg
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2019-02-25T08:19:32Z

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2019-02-25T08:19:23Z

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2019-02-25T08:19:12Z

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2019-02-25T08:18:58Z

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2019-02-25T08:18:48Z

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2019-02-25T08:18:38Z

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2019-02-25T08:18:28Z

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2019-02-25T08:18:18Z

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2019-02-25T08:18:07Z

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2019-02-25T08:17:55Z

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2019-02-25T08:17:43Z

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2019-02-25T08:17:32Z

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2019-02-25T08:17:26Z

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GMU:Connecting Max to the World/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-25T07:56:36Z

Fredblaisb:

=='''An Interspecies Communication Tool'''==
'''______________________________________'''

This research aims to develop an installation allowing a feedback loop conversation between a performer and Bioluminescent Algae (as shown on the schema below). It has two main parts:
*The first one is to capture the motion of the performer and translate it into disturbance in the water to activate the phytoplankton.
*The second part is to capture the light emitted by the plankton and translate it into sounds in order to feed the performer's movements.

[[File:Project_Schema.jpg|400px]]

==Sub-patches:==
*[[/Generate signal from video]]
*[[/Triggering air pump]]
*[[/Sensoring Pyrocystis light]]
*[[/Playing music]]

==Main patches:==
*[[/Talking to ''Pyrocystis'']]
*[[/Listening to ''Pyrocystis'']]

==Project==
As part of my Projektmodul ''Art and Biomedia: agencies of being'', I am working on creating a platform where a human can perform a social interaction with Bioluminescent Algae ('Pyrocystis Fusiformis') by the forms of sound and movement.

''Link to full project'': [[GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]

==Further research==
[[/Exercises]]

GMU:DIY Bio: doing things with biology/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-25T07:54:36Z

Fredblaisb:

=='''In Symbiosis with Pyrocystis Fusiformis'''==
'''_________________________________________'''

This research focuses on two specific areas of Bioluminescent Algae. The first one will be on how to grow them and to take care of them in the best way possible. The second field of interest is in the way they glow; which ways work best for making them illuminate? What are their limits: How long can they glow? How many times?

As an artist working on a biomedia project about multi species communication, this research aims expending the knowledge of my medium, as well as giving me the boundaries within which this artwork can be exhibited.

[[File:Bioluminescent_Algae.JPG|200px]] [[File:Bioluminescence.jpg|200px]]

=====''Bioluminescent Algae'' - by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger=====

==Pyrocystis fusiformis==
''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' is a Bioluminescent Dinoflagellate specie that grows up to 1mm. It is commonly found on surface layers of warm temperate and tropical seawaters. When disturbance in water, they emit blue light as a defense mechanism to avoid being eaten. This theory, called ''The Burglar Alarm'', was developed and experimented by Fleisher and Case in 1995. The sudden flashes of light catches the attention of higher predators of the Dinoflagellate's predator.

[[File:Pyrocystis_fusiformis-FredBB_2018.JPG|200px]]
=====''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' under the microscope - by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger=====

*[[/On Bioluminescence|On Bioluminescence]]
*[[/How to take care|How to take care]]

==Making it glow==
''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'' can easily glow. A small disturbance in the water will make it happen. For the purpose of my project, I wanted to find a gentle way to make them glow, with the most amount of light emission. (Note: as our bared eyes can see the glowing perfectly, taking a photo of it more complicated as it needs a long exposure. To make a video of it is even more difficult.

*'''Manual Shaking'''
Manual shaking is of course the easiest one to see the effect as it needs no instruments. It is also the one you will use to see if the they are alive and in good shape. From an aesthetic point of view, it is also an interesting one as you can see precisely each individual organism. You are also more in control of the amount of disturbance you generate.

The downside of it is more on a presentation and ethical way. For the purpose of my work it was not possible since I needed the flask to stand still. Also, I find it un-ethical to let people shake them, which could be an aggressive gesture, for their own entertainment. For an art installation, it has too much connotation of power-relation between both organisms.

[[File:Bioluminescent_Algae.JPG|200px]]

*'''Electromagnetic Stirrer'''
The electromagnetic stirrer was definitely not my favorite even though it works well. It creates this cyclone which could be highly aesthetic, but at the same time it creates a uniformity in the water. The water becomes blue-cyan and you don't really see all the small dots that for me is much more interesting. It fades out too much the organism by giving more importance to the water that looks like it is glowing.

If you still use it, be careful on the power you use as the ''Pyrocystis'' get exhausted quite fast with this technique. It was also another reason for not using it for my installation.

[[File:Electromagnetic_Stirer.jpg|200px]]

*'''Air Pump'''
The air pump was for me the most interesting and conclusive one. The amount of light is quite high and the individual organisms are still very visible. Moreover the amount of bubbles can be adjusted by the voltage of the pump, and the stone that is used at the end of the tube. It has an nice aesthetic but most importantly, I believe it to be the most ethical one of these choices. It is definitely less violent than the other ones. Actually, air streams are common in their natural habitat and air is something they need to stay alive. It has also a conceptual meaning as the algae filter air and produce oxygen the same way trees do.

For the installation, I used a 12V pump, but any aquarium pump could definitely do the job.

[[File:Water_disturbance.png|200px]]

*'''Sub-woofer'''
Using a sub-woofer to send vibrations to ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'' is also a good way to make them glow... if you do it properly. This technique needs a little bit more preparation. I though of using it at some point, but since the medium needs to be directly on the speaker, this technique could not work for my installation. I tried to put the flask on the woofer, but the glass cuts the vibration too much. Also, this technique has downsides which are the contamination of the organism as they are put straight on a sub-woofer, but also the manipulation of it as they will need to be put back and forth from the speaker to the flask for maintenance and care purposes.

[http://www.andreasgreiner.com Andreas Greiner] uses this technique in is work [http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational_plants''] (photos below). If you want to use this technique, make sure to make the speaker water-proof. You can find tutorials, like [https://www.instructables.com/id/Visualizing-Sound-With-Fluids/ this one], on Internet that explain how to do it properly.

[[File:the-molecular_ordering_of_computational_plants-1200x800.jpg|200px]] [[File:the-molecular_ordering_of_computational_plants-1200x899.jpg|178px]]
======''Photos of Andreas Greiner's work on his [http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological website]. Photo by Nathalie Zimmermann (left) and Jens Ziehe (right).''======

==Project==
As part of my Projektmodul ''Art and Biomedia: agencies of being'', I am working on creating a platform where a human can perform a social interaction with Bioluminescent Algae ('Pyrocystis Fusiformis') by the forms of sound and movement.

[[File:Project_Schema.jpg|400px]]

''Link to full project'': [[GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-24T16:50:14Z

Fredblaisb: /* Documentation photos by Frederic Blais-Belanger */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour found in nature.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air stream into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]
======''Documentation photos by Frederic Blais-Belanger'' - [[/Photo gallery|More photos here]]======

==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculated the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
For this project, I wanted to create a platform where ''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' and the viewer would be able to socially interact by the forms of sound and dance. Navigating Donna Haraway idea of making kin with the Earth-bounded, I aimed to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, and making them both work in symbiosis.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

=='''Final Thoughts on a first Biomedia experience'''==
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-24T16:48:23Z

Fredblaisb: /* Documentation photos by Frederic Blais-Belanger [/Photo gallery | More photos] */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour found in nature.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air stream into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]
======''Documentation photos by Frederic Blais-Belanger''======

==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculated the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
For this project, I wanted to create a platform where ''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' and the viewer would be able to socially interact by the forms of sound and dance. Navigating Donna Haraway idea of making kin with the Earth-bounded, I aimed to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, and making them both work in symbiosis.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

=='''Final Thoughts on a first Biomedia experience'''==
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-24T16:47:16Z

Fredblaisb: /* Documentation photos by Frederic Blais-Belanger */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour found in nature.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air stream into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]
======''Documentation photos by Frederic Blais-Belanger'' [/Photo gallery | More photos]======

==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculated the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
For this project, I wanted to create a platform where ''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' and the viewer would be able to socially interact by the forms of sound and dance. Navigating Donna Haraway idea of making kin with the Earth-bounded, I aimed to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, and making them both work in symbiosis.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

=='''Final Thoughts on a first Biomedia experience'''==
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-24T16:45:30Z

Fredblaisb: /* Performing Polyphony */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour found in nature.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air stream into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]
======''Documentation photos by Frederic Blais-Belanger''======
==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculated the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
For this project, I wanted to create a platform where ''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' and the viewer would be able to socially interact by the forms of sound and dance. Navigating Donna Haraway idea of making kin with the Earth-bounded, I aimed to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, and making them both work in symbiosis.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

=='''Final Thoughts on a first Biomedia experience'''==
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-24T16:43:58Z

Fredblaisb: /* The growth of the project */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour found in nature.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air stream into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]

==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculated the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
For this project, I wanted to create a platform where ''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' and the viewer would be able to socially interact by the forms of sound and dance. Navigating Donna Haraway idea of making kin with the Earth-bounded, I aimed to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, and making them both work in symbiosis.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

=='''Final Thoughts on a first Biomedia experience'''==
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-24T16:41:07Z

Fredblaisb: /* Final Thoughts on a first Biomedia experience */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour found in nature.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air stream into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]

==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculated the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
For this project, I want to create a platform where ''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' and the viewer will be able to socially interact by the forms of sound and dance. Navigating Donna Haraway idea of making kin with the Earth-bounded, I aim to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, and making them both work in symbiosis.

In a dark space, I intend to invite the viewer to perform some movements that will be transcode into vibrations for the phytoplankton. As a feedback, it will emit light that will then generate sounds, feeding the dance of the participant.

This feedback loop will thus become a conversation that, like dance, will demand a mutual respect from both parties and a constant attention to the partner in order to find a certain synchronism.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

=='''Final Thoughts on a first Biomedia experience'''==
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-24T16:39:36Z

Fredblaisb: /* Experimentation and Research */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour found in nature.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air stream into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]

==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculated the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
For this project, I want to create a platform where ''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' and the viewer will be able to socially interact by the forms of sound and dance. Navigating Donna Haraway idea of making kin with the Earth-bounded, I aim to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, and making them both work in symbiosis.

In a dark space, I intend to invite the viewer to perform some movements that will be transcode into vibrations for the phytoplankton. As a feedback, it will emit light that will then generate sounds, feeding the dance of the participant.

This feedback loop will thus become a conversation that, like dance, will demand a mutual respect from both parties and a constant attention to the partner in order to find a certain synchronism.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

==Final Thoughts on a first Biomedia experience==
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-24T16:39:05Z

Fredblaisb: /* Final Thoughts on a first Biomedia experience */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour found in nature.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air stream into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]

==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculated the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
For this project, I want to create a platform where ''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' and the viewer will be able to socially interact by the forms of sound and dance. Navigating Donna Haraway idea of making kin with the Earth-bounded, I aim to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, and making them both work in symbiosis.

In a dark space, I intend to invite the viewer to perform some movements that will be transcode into vibrations for the phytoplankton. As a feedback, it will emit light that will then generate sounds, feeding the dance of the participant.

This feedback loop will thus become a conversation that, like dance, will demand a mutual respect from both parties and a constant attention to the partner in order to find a certain synchronism.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

==Experimentation and Research==
*Pyrocystis fusiformis [[GMU:DIY Bio: doing things with biology/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]
*Max Jitter/MSP [[GMU:Connecting Max to the World/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]

==Final Thoughts on a first Biomedia experience==
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-24T16:38:45Z

Fredblaisb: /* Performing Polyphony */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====
=====by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger, 2019=====
'''_______________________________________________'''

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many processes and organisms' behaviour found in nature.

''Performing Polyphony'' explores this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic duet joining human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air stream into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic performance between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]

==The technique behind it==
[[File:Projekt_Schema_final-01.jpg|400px]]

As a webcam film live the performer's motion, a Max MSP patch compares the image it receives with the previous one, generating a number of the amount of pixel difference. This number controls the air pump, turning it on or off as it reaches a threshold.

A photosensor calculated the amount of light emitted by the algae. This number is then use in Max MSP to trigger notes on a keyboard; the higher the amount of light, the higher the note. The light also affects the tempo of the music as it slows it down when the amount increases and speeds it up when it decreases.

The research and experimentations for the installation was divided in two main parts and were also made within the frame of two other classes. To access the full documentation of these researches, follow the links below:
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:DIY_Bio:_doing_things_with_biology/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The cultivation and understanding of the Pyrocystis Fusiformis]
* [https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/GMU:Connecting_Max_to_the_World/Frederic_Blais-Belanger The elaboration of a communication platform between human and algae]

==The growth of the project==
For this project, I want to create a platform where ''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' and the viewer will be able to socially interact by the forms of sound and dance. Navigating Donna Haraway idea of making kin with the Earth-bounded, I aim to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, and making them both work in symbiosis.

In a dark space, I intend to invite the viewer to perform some movements that will be transcode into vibrations for the phytoplankton. As a feedback, it will emit light that will then generate sounds, feeding the dance of the participant.

This feedback loop will thus become a conversation that, like dance, will demand a mutual respect from both parties and a constant attention to the partner in order to find a certain synchronism.

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

==Experimentation and Research==
*Pyrocystis fusiformis [[GMU:DIY Bio: doing things with biology/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]
*Max Jitter/MSP [[GMU:Connecting Max to the World/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]

===Final Thoughts on a first Biomedia experience===
Coming from a photography based practice, this first experience in Biomedia got me out of my comfort zone.

If I had to describe my experience in one word, I would go for "Failure". It might sounds negative at first, but failure for me is everything but negative. I mean, when is Failure the end of something? Failure is always the beginning of something else; the beginning of a new attempt or a new path in my work. In fact, failure is deeply embedded in the processes of learning. It forces to raise new questions and to look at new angles that then leads to new knowledge and of course progress... a process that actually success cannot bring you.

Even though failures and experimentations have always been part of my art practice, whether it was in the photography darkroom or with video installations, I feel that I have never reached that level of failures since I am in the field of Biomedia.

By working this semester with Pyrocystis Fusiformis, which are Bioluminescent algae, I developed a new creative process; one which “I” have to adapt to medium as I can no longer control it. Through my attempts of creating a platform where the viewer and the living organism could communicate by the forms of movements and sounds, I learned to better care and to better understand my medium as well as other forms of life. It made me look at and acknowledge non-humans, but foremost it made me took a few steps back and pace my productivity down at their own rhythm so we can connect together and work together... or as I like to say, dance together.

So with all the failures Biomedia provided me within the last couple of months, I can definitively say today that I grew up as an artist. I developed new creative processes and new skills but most importantly I’ve opened up myself to new visions of art and nature.

There is actually a better word to express my vision of Bioart: Polyphony. This idea of combining simultaneously two different rhythms, two individual melody, one of the artist and one of the medium, that in the end find a way of harmonizing with each other.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-24T16:14:05Z

Fredblaisb: /* Performing Polyphony */

File:Projekt Schema final-01.jpg

2019-02-24T15:50:38Z

Fredblaisb: File uploaded with MsUpload

File uploaded with MsUpload

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-24T15:34:34Z

Fredblaisb: /* Performing Polyphony */

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-24T15:18:51Z

Fredblaisb: /* Performing Polyphony */

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====

In music, polyphony refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each one being a melody of its own, and at the same time harmonizing with each other. Placed out of its original field, this definition reflects many natural processes and organisms' behaviour in their attempt for survival.

''Performing Polyphony'' explore this idea of collaboration between species as it is a symbiotic performance between human and ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'', a form of Dinoflagellates often referred to as Bioluminescent Algea. While the dancer performs, her movements generate air stream into the water, triggering the glow of the algae. Their emission of light is then perceived by a photosensor and translated as sounds that will feed the performer's motion, thus creating a complete loop between the two organisms.

In relation with Haraway's concept, this work is an attempt of "making kin with the earth-bounded". It illustrates on a metaphoric level an interspecies conversation; a symbiotic duet between human and nature.

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]

===Original Idea===
For this project, I want to create a platform where ''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' and the viewer will be able to socially interact by the forms of sound and dance. Navigating Donna Haraway idea of making kin with the Earth-bounded, I aim to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, and making them both work in symbiosis.

In a dark space, I intend to invite the viewer to perform some movements that will be transcode into vibrations for the phytoplankton. As a feedback, it will emit light that will then generate sounds, feeding the dance of the participant.
[[File:FredBB-Projekt_Schema.jpg|800px]]
This feedback loop will thus become a conversation that, like dance, will demand a mutual respect from both parties and a constant attention to the partner in order to find a certain synchronism.

===Development===
Bla bla bla

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

==Experimentation and Research==
*Pyrocystis fusiformis [[GMU:DIY Bio: doing things with biology/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]
*Max Jitter/MSP [[GMU:Connecting Max to the World/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]

===Other Thoughts on BioArt===
Bla, bla, bla.

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-24T14:11:02Z

Fredblaisb:

= '''Performing Polyphony''' =
=====''A symbiotic performance between human and bioluminescent phytoplankton.''=====

[[File:Performing_Polyphony-01-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-04-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-02-Web.jpg|200px]] [[File:Performing_Polyphony-03-Web.jpg|200px]]

===Original Idea===
For this project, I want to create a platform where ''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' and the viewer will be able to socially interact by the forms of sound and dance. Navigating Donna Haraway idea of making kin with the Earth-bounded, I aim to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, and making them both work in symbiosis.

In a dark space, I intend to invite the viewer to perform some movements that will be transcode into vibrations for the phytoplankton. As a feedback, it will emit light that will then generate sounds, feeding the dance of the participant.
[[File:FredBB-Projekt_Schema.jpg|800px]]
This feedback loop will thus become a conversation that, like dance, will demand a mutual respect from both parties and a constant attention to the partner in order to find a certain synchronism.

===Development===
Bla bla bla

==Inspirations and References==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

==Experimentation and Research==
*Pyrocystis fusiformis [[GMU:DIY Bio: doing things with biology/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]
*Max Jitter/MSP [[GMU:Connecting Max to the World/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]

===Other Thoughts on BioArt===
Bla, bla, bla.

File:Performing Polyphony-04-Web.jpg

2019-02-24T14:08:38Z

Fredblaisb: File uploaded with MsUpload

File uploaded with MsUpload

File:Performing Polyphony-03-Web.jpg

2019-02-24T14:08:35Z

Fredblaisb: File uploaded with MsUpload

File uploaded with MsUpload

File:Performing Polyphony-02-Web.jpg

2019-02-24T14:08:32Z

Fredblaisb: File uploaded with MsUpload

File uploaded with MsUpload

File:Performing Polyphony-01-Web.jpg

2019-02-24T14:08:27Z

Fredblaisb: File uploaded with MsUpload

File uploaded with MsUpload

GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-21T12:16:13Z

Fredblaisb: /* In Symbiosis with Pyrocystis */

== '''''Performing Polyphony''''' ==
For this project, I want to create a platform where ''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' and the viewer will be able to socially interact by the forms of sound and dance. Navigating Donna Haraway idea of making kin with the Earth-bounded, I aim to bring the viewer to looking at the micro-organism in a different way, and making them both work in symbiosis.

In a dark space, I intend to invite the viewer to perform some movements that will be transcode into vibrations for the phytoplankton. As a feedback, it will emit light that will then generate sounds, feeding the dance of the participant.
[[File:FredBB-Projekt_Schema.jpg|800px]]
This feedback loop will thus become a conversation that, like dance, will demand a mutual respect from both parties and a constant attention to the partner in order to find a certain synchronism.

==Inspirations==
===Literature===
*''“Who and whatever we are, we need to make-with—become-with, compose-with—the earth-bound.”'', Donna Haraway
*''“We must stop seeing tech and nature as sparring partners, and start concentrating on how helping them to dance.”'', Molly Flatt, BBC, 2015
* ''“In the process [of making workable living arrangements], each organism changes everyone’s world. Bacteria made our oxygen atmosphere, and plants help maintain it. Plants live on land because fungi made soil by digesting rocks. As these examples suggest, world-making projects can overlap, allowing room for more than one species.”'', Anna Tsing
*''“We forget that collaborative survival requires cross-species coordinations.”'', Anna Tsing

===Artworks===
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational Plants''], Andreas Greiner and Tyler Friedman, 2018.
*[http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/from-strings-to-dinosaurs/?/=chronological ''From Strings to Dinosaurs''], Andreas Greiner, 2015.

===Other===
*''Polyphony'': the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other.

==Bibliography==
*Haraway, Donna. Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.
*Tsing, Anna. The Mushroom at the End of the World. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2015.

==Experimentation and Research==
*Pyrocystis fusiformis [[GMU:DIY Bio: doing things with biology/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]
*Max Jitter/MSP [[GMU:Connecting Max to the World/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]

GMU:DIY Bio: doing things with biology/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-19T11:36:59Z

Fredblaisb: /* Making it glow */

This research focuses on two specific areas of Bioluminescent Algae. The first one will be on how to grow them and to take care of them in the best way possible. The second field of interest is in the way they glow; which ways work best for making them illuminate? What are their limits: How long can they glow? How many times?

As an artist working on a biomedia project about multi species communication, this research aims expending the knowledge of my medium, as well as giving me the boundaries within which this artwork can be exhibited.

[[File:Bioluminescent_Algae.JPG|200px]] [[File:Bioluminescence.jpg|200px]]

=====''Bioluminescent Algae'' - by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger=====

==Pyrocystis fusiformis==
''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' is a Bioluminescent Dinoflagellate specie that grows up to 1mm. It is commonly found on surface layers of warm temperate and tropical seawaters. When disturbance in water, they emit blue light as a defense mechanism to avoid being eaten. This theory, called ''The Burglar Alarm'', was developed and experimented by Fleisher and Case in 1995. The sudden flashes of light catches the attention of higher predators of the Dinoflagellate's predator.

[[File:Pyrocystis_fusiformis-FredBB_2018.JPG|200px]]
=====''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' under the microscope - by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger=====

*[[/On Bioluminescence|On Bioluminescence]]
*[[/How to take care|How to take care]]

==Making it glow==
''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'' can easily glow. A small disturbance in the water will make it happen. For the purpose of my project, I wanted to find a gentle way to make them glow, with the most amount of light emission. (Note: as our bared eyes can see the glowing perfectly, taking a photo of it more complicated as it needs a long exposure. To make a video of it is even more difficult.

*'''Manual Shaking'''
Manual shaking is of course the easiest one to see the effect as it needs no instruments. It is also the one you will use to see if the they are alive and in good shape. From an aesthetic point of view, it is also an interesting one as you can see precisely each individual organism. You are also more in control of the amount of disturbance you generate.

The downside of it is more on a presentation and ethical way. For the purpose of my work it was not possible since I needed the flask to stand still. Also, I find it un-ethical to let people shake them, which could be an aggressive gesture, for their own entertainment. For an art installation, it has too much connotation of power-relation between both organisms.

[[File:Bioluminescent_Algae.JPG|200px]]

*'''Electromagnetic Stirrer'''
The electromagnetic stirrer was definitely not my favorite even though it works well. It creates this cyclone which could be highly aesthetic, but at the same time it creates a uniformity in the water. The water becomes blue-cyan and you don't really see all the small dots that for me is much more interesting. It fades out too much the organism by giving more importance to the water that looks like it is glowing.

If you still use it, be careful on the power you use as the ''Pyrocystis'' get exhausted quite fast with this technique. It was also another reason for not using it for my installation.

[[File:Electromagnetic_Stirer.jpg|200px]]

*'''Air Pump'''
The air pump was for me the most interesting and conclusive one. The amount of light is quite high and the individual organisms are still very visible. Moreover the amount of bubbles can be adjusted by the voltage of the pump, and the stone that is used at the end of the tube. It has an nice aesthetic but most importantly, I believe it to be the most ethical one of these choices. It is definitely less violent than the other ones. Actually, air streams are common in their natural habitat and air is something they need to stay alive. It has also a conceptual meaning as the algae filter air and produce oxygen the same way trees do.

For the installation, I used a 12V pump, but any aquarium pump could definitely do the job.

[[File:Water_disturbance.png|200px]]

*'''Sub-woofer'''
Using a sub-woofer to send vibrations to ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'' is also a good way to make them glow... if you do it properly. This technique needs a little bit more preparation. I though of using it at some point, but since the medium needs to be directly on the speaker, this technique could not work for my installation. I tried to put the flask on the woofer, but the glass cuts the vibration too much. Also, this technique has downsides which are the contamination of the organism as they are put straight on a sub-woofer, but also the manipulation of it as they will need to be put back and forth from the speaker to the flask for maintenance and care purposes.

[http://www.andreasgreiner.com Andreas Greiner] uses this technique in is work [http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational_plants''] (photos below). If you want to use this technique, make sure to make the speaker water-proof. You can find tutorials, like [https://www.instructables.com/id/Visualizing-Sound-With-Fluids/ this one], on Internet that explain how to do it properly.

[[File:the-molecular_ordering_of_computational_plants-1200x800.jpg|200px]] [[File:the-molecular_ordering_of_computational_plants-1200x899.jpg|178px]]
======''Photos of Andreas Greiner's work on his [http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological website]. Photo by Nathalie Zimmermann (left) and Jens Ziehe (right).''======

==Project==
As part of my Projektmodul ''Art and Biomedia: agencies of being'', I am working on creating a platform where a human can perform a social interaction with Bioluminescent Algae ('Pyrocystis Fusiformis') by the forms of sound and movement.

[[File:Project_Schema.jpg|400px]]

''Link to full project'': [[GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]

GMU:DIY Bio: doing things with biology/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-19T11:36:27Z

Fredblaisb: /* Project */

GMU:Connecting Max to the World/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-19T11:35:33Z

Fredblaisb: /* Project */

This research aims to develop an installation allowing a feedback loop conversation between a performer and Bioluminescent Algae (as shown on the schema below). It has two main parts:
*The first one is to capture the motion of the performer and translate it into disturbance in the water to activate the phytoplankton.
*The second part is to capture the light emitted by the plankton and translate it into sounds in order to feed the performer's movements.

[[File:Project_Schema.jpg|400px]]

==Sub-patches:==
*[[/Generate signal from video]]
*[[/Triggering air pump]]
*[[/Sensoring Pyrocystis light]]
*[[/Playing music]]

==Main patches:==
*[[/Talking to ''Pyrocystis'']]
*[[/Listening to ''Pyrocystis'']]

==Project==
As part of my Projektmodul ''Art and Biomedia: agencies of being'', I am working on creating a platform where a human can perform a social interaction with Bioluminescent Algae ('Pyrocystis Fusiformis') by the forms of sound and movement.

''Link to full project'': [[GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]

==Further research==
[[/Exercises]]

GMU:DIY Bio: doing things with biology/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-19T11:34:07Z

Fredblaisb: /* Making it glow */

This research focuses on two specific areas of Bioluminescent Algae. The first one will be on how to grow them and to take care of them in the best way possible. The second field of interest is in the way they glow; which ways work best for making them illuminate? What are their limits: How long can they glow? How many times?

As an artist working on a biomedia project about multi species communication, this research aims expending the knowledge of my medium, as well as giving me the boundaries within which this artwork can be exhibited.

[[File:Bioluminescent_Algae.JPG|200px]] [[File:Bioluminescence.jpg|200px]]

=====''Bioluminescent Algae'' - by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger=====

==Pyrocystis fusiformis==
''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' is a Bioluminescent Dinoflagellate specie that grows up to 1mm. It is commonly found on surface layers of warm temperate and tropical seawaters. When disturbance in water, they emit blue light as a defense mechanism to avoid being eaten. This theory, called ''The Burglar Alarm'', was developed and experimented by Fleisher and Case in 1995. The sudden flashes of light catches the attention of higher predators of the Dinoflagellate's predator.

[[File:Pyrocystis_fusiformis-FredBB_2018.JPG|200px]]
=====''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' under the microscope - by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger=====

*[[/On Bioluminescence|On Bioluminescence]]
*[[/How to take care|How to take care]]

==Making it glow==
''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'' can easily glow. A small disturbance in the water will make it happen. For the purpose of my project, I wanted to find a gentle way to make them glow, with the most amount of light emission. (Note: as our bared eyes can see the glowing perfectly, taking a photo of it more complicated as it needs a long exposure. To make a video of it is even more difficult.

*'''Manual Shaking'''
Manual shaking is of course the easiest one to see the effect as it needs no instruments. It is also the one you will use to see if the they are alive and in good shape. From an aesthetic point of view, it is also an interesting one as you can see precisely each individual organism. You are also more in control of the amount of disturbance you generate.

The downside of it is more on a presentation and ethical way. For the purpose of my work it was not possible since I needed the flask to stand still. Also, I find it un-ethical to let people shake them, which could be an aggressive gesture, for their own entertainment. For an art installation, it has too much connotation of power-relation between both organisms.

[[File:Bioluminescent_Algae.JPG|200px]]

*'''Electromagnetic Stirrer'''
The electromagnetic stirrer was definitely not my favorite even though it works well. It creates this cyclone which could be highly aesthetic, but at the same time it creates a uniformity in the water. The water becomes blue-cyan and you don't really see all the small dots that for me is much more interesting. It fades out too much the organism by giving more importance to the water that looks like it is glowing.

If you still use it, be careful on the power you use as the ''Pyrocystis'' get exhausted quite fast with this technique. It was also another reason for not using it for my installation.

[[File:Electromagnetic_Stirer.jpg|200px]]

*'''Air Pump'''
The air pump was for me the most interesting and conclusive one. The amount of light is quite high and the individual organisms are still very visible. Moreover the amount of bubbles can be adjusted by the voltage of the pump, and the stone that is used at the end of the tube. It has an nice aesthetic but most importantly, I believe it to be the most ethical one of these choices. It is definitely less violent than the other ones. Actually, air streams are common in their natural habitat and air is something they need to stay alive. It has also a conceptual meaning as the algae filter air and produce oxygen the same way trees do.

For the installation, I used a 12V pump, but any aquarium pump could definitely do the job.

[[File:Water_disturbance.png|200px]]

*'''Sub-woofer'''
Using a sub-woofer to send vibrations to ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'' is also a good way to make them glow... if you do it properly. This technique needs a little bit more preparation. I though of using it at some point, but since the medium needs to be directly on the speaker, this technique could not work for my installation. I tried to put the flask on the woofer, but the glass cuts the vibration too much. Also, this technique has downsides which are the contamination of the organism as they are put straight on a sub-woofer, but also the manipulation of it as they will need to be put back and forth from the speaker to the flask for maintenance and care purposes.

[http://www.andreasgreiner.com Andreas Greiner] uses this technique in is work [http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational_plants''] (photos below). If you want to use this technique, make sure to make the speaker water-proof. You can find tutorials, like [https://www.instructables.com/id/Visualizing-Sound-With-Fluids/ this one], on Internet that explain how to do it properly.

[[File:the-molecular_ordering_of_computational_plants-1200x800.jpg|200px]] [[File:the-molecular_ordering_of_computational_plants-1200x899.jpg|178px]]
======''Photos of Andreas Greiner's work on his [http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological website]. Photo by Nathalie Zimmermann (left) and Jens Ziehe (right).''======

==Project==
As part of my Projektmodul ''Art and Biomedia: agencies of being'', I am working on creating a platform where the viewer can perform a social interaction with a different specie by the forms of sound and dance.

[[File:FredBB-Projekt_Schema.jpg|600px]]

''Link to full project'': [[GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]

GMU:DIY Bio: doing things with biology/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-19T11:33:33Z

Fredblaisb: /* Note */

This research focuses on two specific areas of Bioluminescent Algae. The first one will be on how to grow them and to take care of them in the best way possible. The second field of interest is in the way they glow; which ways work best for making them illuminate? What are their limits: How long can they glow? How many times?

As an artist working on a biomedia project about multi species communication, this research aims expending the knowledge of my medium, as well as giving me the boundaries within which this artwork can be exhibited.

[[File:Bioluminescent_Algae.JPG|200px]] [[File:Bioluminescence.jpg|200px]]

=====''Bioluminescent Algae'' - by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger=====

==Pyrocystis fusiformis==
''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' is a Bioluminescent Dinoflagellate specie that grows up to 1mm. It is commonly found on surface layers of warm temperate and tropical seawaters. When disturbance in water, they emit blue light as a defense mechanism to avoid being eaten. This theory, called ''The Burglar Alarm'', was developed and experimented by Fleisher and Case in 1995. The sudden flashes of light catches the attention of higher predators of the Dinoflagellate's predator.

[[File:Pyrocystis_fusiformis-FredBB_2018.JPG|200px]]
=====''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' under the microscope - by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger=====

*[[/On Bioluminescence|On Bioluminescence]]
*[[/How to take care|How to take care]]

==Making it glow==
''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'' can easily glow. A small disturbance in the water will make it happen. For the purpose of my project, I wanted to find a gentle way to make them glow, with the most amount of light emission.

*'''Manual Shaking'''
Manual shaking is of course the easiest one to see the effect as it needs no instruments. It is also the one you will use to see if the they are alive and in good shape. From an aesthetic point of view, it is also an interesting one as you can see precisely each individual organism. You are also more in control of the amount of disturbance you generate.

The downside of it is more on a presentation and ethical way. For the purpose of my work it was not possible since I needed the flask to stand still. Also, I find it un-ethical to let people shake them, which could be an aggressive gesture, for their own entertainment. For an art installation, it has too much connotation of power-relation between both organisms.

[[File:Bioluminescent_Algae.JPG|200px]]

*'''Electromagnetic Stirrer'''
The electromagnetic stirrer was definitely not my favorite even though it works well. It creates this cyclone which could be highly aesthetic, but at the same time it creates a uniformity in the water. The water becomes blue-cyan and you don't really see all the small dots that for me is much more interesting. It fades out too much the organism by giving more importance to the water that looks like it is glowing.

If you still use it, be careful on the power you use as the ''Pyrocystis'' get exhausted quite fast with this technique. It was also another reason for not using it for my installation.

[[File:Electromagnetic_Stirer.jpg|200px]]

*'''Air Pump'''
The air pump was for me the most interesting and conclusive one. The amount of light is quite high and the individual organisms are still very visible. Moreover the amount of bubbles can be adjusted by the voltage of the pump, and the stone that is used at the end of the tube. It has an nice aesthetic but most importantly, I believe it to be the most ethical one of these choices. It is definitely less violent than the other ones. Actually, air streams are common in their natural habitat and air is something they need to stay alive. It has also a conceptual meaning as the algae filter air and produce oxygen the same way trees do.

For the installation, I used a 12V pump, but any aquarium pump could definitely do the job.

[[File:Water_disturbance.png|200px]]

*'''Sub-woofer'''
Using a sub-woofer to send vibrations to ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'' is also a good way to make them glow... if you do it properly. This technique needs a little bit more preparation. I though of using it at some point, but since the medium needs to be directly on the speaker, this technique could not work for my installation. I tried to put the flask on the woofer, but the glass cuts the vibration too much. Also, this technique has downsides which are the contamination of the organism as they are put straight on a sub-woofer, but also the manipulation of it as they will need to be put back and forth from the speaker to the flask for maintenance and care purposes.

[http://www.andreasgreiner.com Andreas Greiner] uses this technique in is work [http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational_plants''] (photos below). If you want to use this technique, make sure to make the speaker water-proof. You can find tutorials, like [https://www.instructables.com/id/Visualizing-Sound-With-Fluids/ this one], on Internet that explain how to do it properly.

[[File:the-molecular_ordering_of_computational_plants-1200x800.jpg|200px]] [[File:the-molecular_ordering_of_computational_plants-1200x899.jpg|178px]]
======''Photos of Andreas Greiner's work on his [http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological website]. Photo by Nathalie Zimmermann (left) and Jens Ziehe (right).''======

==Project==
As part of my Projektmodul ''Art and Biomedia: agencies of being'', I am working on creating a platform where the viewer can perform a social interaction with a different specie by the forms of sound and dance.

[[File:FredBB-Projekt_Schema.jpg|600px]]

''Link to full project'': [[GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]

GMU:DIY Bio: doing things with biology/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-19T11:33:07Z

Fredblaisb: /* Note */

This research focuses on two specific areas of Bioluminescent Algae. The first one will be on how to grow them and to take care of them in the best way possible. The second field of interest is in the way they glow; which ways work best for making them illuminate? What are their limits: How long can they glow? How many times?

As an artist working on a biomedia project about multi species communication, this research aims expending the knowledge of my medium, as well as giving me the boundaries within which this artwork can be exhibited.

[[File:Bioluminescent_Algae.JPG|200px]] [[File:Bioluminescence.jpg|200px]]

=====''Bioluminescent Algae'' - by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger=====

==Pyrocystis fusiformis==
''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' is a Bioluminescent Dinoflagellate specie that grows up to 1mm. It is commonly found on surface layers of warm temperate and tropical seawaters. When disturbance in water, they emit blue light as a defense mechanism to avoid being eaten. This theory, called ''The Burglar Alarm'', was developed and experimented by Fleisher and Case in 1995. The sudden flashes of light catches the attention of higher predators of the Dinoflagellate's predator.

[[File:Pyrocystis_fusiformis-FredBB_2018.JPG|200px]]
=====''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' under the microscope - by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger=====

*[[/On Bioluminescence|On Bioluminescence]]
*[[/How to take care|How to take care]]

==Making it glow==
''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'' can easily glow. A small disturbance in the water will make it happen. For the purpose of my project, I wanted to find a gentle way to make them glow, with the most amount of light emission.

*'''Manual Shaking'''
Manual shaking is of course the easiest one to see the effect as it needs no instruments. It is also the one you will use to see if the they are alive and in good shape. From an aesthetic point of view, it is also an interesting one as you can see precisely each individual organism. You are also more in control of the amount of disturbance you generate.

The downside of it is more on a presentation and ethical way. For the purpose of my work it was not possible since I needed the flask to stand still. Also, I find it un-ethical to let people shake them, which could be an aggressive gesture, for their own entertainment. For an art installation, it has too much connotation of power-relation between both organisms.

[[File:Bioluminescent_Algae.JPG|200px]]

*'''Electromagnetic Stirrer'''
The electromagnetic stirrer was definitely not my favorite even though it works well. It creates this cyclone which could be highly aesthetic, but at the same time it creates a uniformity in the water. The water becomes blue-cyan and you don't really see all the small dots that for me is much more interesting. It fades out too much the organism by giving more importance to the water that looks like it is glowing.

If you still use it, be careful on the power you use as the ''Pyrocystis'' get exhausted quite fast with this technique. It was also another reason for not using it for my installation.

[[File:Electromagnetic_Stirer.jpg|200px]]

*'''Air Pump'''
The air pump was for me the most interesting and conclusive one. The amount of light is quite high and the individual organisms are still very visible. Moreover the amount of bubbles can be adjusted by the voltage of the pump, and the stone that is used at the end of the tube. It has an nice aesthetic but most importantly, I believe it to be the most ethical one of these choices. It is definitely less violent than the other ones. Actually, air streams are common in their natural habitat and air is something they need to stay alive. It has also a conceptual meaning as the algae filter air and produce oxygen the same way trees do.

For the installation, I used a 12V pump, but any aquarium pump could definitely do the job.

[[File:Water_disturbance.png|200px]]

*'''Sub-woofer'''
Using a sub-woofer to send vibrations to ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'' is also a good way to make them glow... if you do it properly. This technique needs a little bit more preparation. I though of using it at some point, but since the medium needs to be directly on the speaker, this technique could not work for my installation. I tried to put the flask on the woofer, but the glass cuts the vibration too much. Also, this technique has downsides which are the contamination of the organism as they are put straight on a sub-woofer, but also the manipulation of it as they will need to be put back and forth from the speaker to the flask for maintenance and care purposes.

[http://www.andreasgreiner.com Andreas Greiner] uses this technique in is work [http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational_plants''] (photos below). If you want to use this technique, make sure to make the speaker water-proof. You can find tutorials, like [https://www.instructables.com/id/Visualizing-Sound-With-Fluids/ this one], on Internet that explain how to do it properly.

[[File:the-molecular_ordering_of_computational_plants-1200x800.jpg|200px]] [[File:the-molecular_ordering_of_computational_plants-1200x899.jpg|178px]]
======''Photos of Andreas Greiner's work on his [http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological website]. Photo by Nathalie Zimmermann (left) and Jens Ziehe (right).''======

===''Note''===
As our bared eyes can see the glowing perfectly, taking a photo of it more complicated as it needs a long exposure. To make a video of it is even more difficult.

==Project==
As part of my Projektmodul ''Art and Biomedia: agencies of being'', I am working on creating a platform where the viewer can perform a social interaction with a different specie by the forms of sound and dance.

[[File:FredBB-Projekt_Schema.jpg|600px]]

''Link to full project'': [[GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]

GMU:DIY Bio: doing things with biology/Frederic Blais-Belanger

2019-02-19T11:32:45Z

Fredblaisb:

This research focuses on two specific areas of Bioluminescent Algae. The first one will be on how to grow them and to take care of them in the best way possible. The second field of interest is in the way they glow; which ways work best for making them illuminate? What are their limits: How long can they glow? How many times?

As an artist working on a biomedia project about multi species communication, this research aims expending the knowledge of my medium, as well as giving me the boundaries within which this artwork can be exhibited.

[[File:Bioluminescent_Algae.JPG|200px]] [[File:Bioluminescence.jpg|200px]]

=====''Bioluminescent Algae'' - by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger=====

==Pyrocystis fusiformis==
''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' is a Bioluminescent Dinoflagellate specie that grows up to 1mm. It is commonly found on surface layers of warm temperate and tropical seawaters. When disturbance in water, they emit blue light as a defense mechanism to avoid being eaten. This theory, called ''The Burglar Alarm'', was developed and experimented by Fleisher and Case in 1995. The sudden flashes of light catches the attention of higher predators of the Dinoflagellate's predator.

[[File:Pyrocystis_fusiformis-FredBB_2018.JPG|200px]]
=====''Pyrocystis fusiformis'' under the microscope - by Frédéric Blais-Bélanger=====

*[[/On Bioluminescence|On Bioluminescence]]
*[[/How to take care|How to take care]]

==Making it glow==
''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'' can easily glow. A small disturbance in the water will make it happen. For the purpose of my project, I wanted to find a gentle way to make them glow, with the most amount of light emission.

*'''Manual Shaking'''
Manual shaking is of course the easiest one to see the effect as it needs no instruments. It is also the one you will use to see if the they are alive and in good shape. From an aesthetic point of view, it is also an interesting one as you can see precisely each individual organism. You are also more in control of the amount of disturbance you generate.

The downside of it is more on a presentation and ethical way. For the purpose of my work it was not possible since I needed the flask to stand still. Also, I find it un-ethical to let people shake them, which could be an aggressive gesture, for their own entertainment. For an art installation, it has too much connotation of power-relation between both organisms.

[[File:Bioluminescent_Algae.JPG|200px]]

*'''Electromagnetic Stirrer'''
The electromagnetic stirrer was definitely not my favorite even though it works well. It creates this cyclone which could be highly aesthetic, but at the same time it creates a uniformity in the water. The water becomes blue-cyan and you don't really see all the small dots that for me is much more interesting. It fades out too much the organism by giving more importance to the water that looks like it is glowing.

If you still use it, be careful on the power you use as the ''Pyrocystis'' get exhausted quite fast with this technique. It was also another reason for not using it for my installation.

[[File:Electromagnetic_Stirer.jpg|200px]]

*'''Air Pump'''
The air pump was for me the most interesting and conclusive one. The amount of light is quite high and the individual organisms are still very visible. Moreover the amount of bubbles can be adjusted by the voltage of the pump, and the stone that is used at the end of the tube. It has an nice aesthetic but most importantly, I believe it to be the most ethical one of these choices. It is definitely less violent than the other ones. Actually, air streams are common in their natural habitat and air is something they need to stay alive. It has also a conceptual meaning as the algae filter air and produce oxygen the same way trees do.

For the installation, I used a 12V pump, but any aquarium pump could definitely do the job.

[[File:Water_disturbance.png|200px]]

*'''Sub-woofer'''
Using a sub-woofer to send vibrations to ''Pyrocystis Fusiformis'' is also a good way to make them glow... if you do it properly. This technique needs a little bit more preparation. I though of using it at some point, but since the medium needs to be directly on the speaker, this technique could not work for my installation. I tried to put the flask on the woofer, but the glass cuts the vibration too much. Also, this technique has downsides which are the contamination of the organism as they are put straight on a sub-woofer, but also the manipulation of it as they will need to be put back and forth from the speaker to the flask for maintenance and care purposes.

[http://www.andreasgreiner.com Andreas Greiner] uses this technique in is work [http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological ''The Molecular Ordering of Computational_plants''] (photos below). If you want to use this technique, make sure to make the speaker water-proof. You can find tutorials, like [https://www.instructables.com/id/Visualizing-Sound-With-Fluids/ this one], on Internet that explain how to do it properly.

[[File:the-molecular_ordering_of_computational_plants-1200x800.jpg|200px]] [[File:the-molecular_ordering_of_computational_plants-1200x899.jpg|178px]]
======''Photos of Andreas Greiner's work on his [http://www.andreasgreiner.com/works/molecular-ordering-of-computational-plants/?/=chronological website]. Photo by Nathalie Zimmermann (left) and Jens Ziehe (right).''======

====''Note''====
As our bared eyes can see the glowing perfectly, taking a photo of it more complicated as it needs a long exposure. To make a video of it is even more difficult.

==Project==
As part of my Projektmodul ''Art and Biomedia: agencies of being'', I am working on creating a platform where the viewer can perform a social interaction with a different specie by the forms of sound and dance.

[[File:FredBB-Projekt_Schema.jpg|600px]]

''Link to full project'': [[GMU:Art and Biomedia/Frederic Blais-Belanger]]