Drawing in the dark
This week Despina asked us three questions:
- Write 2-3 sentences clear description of your project (imagine it is Thanksgiving and your 16 year cousin and 74 year uncle ask you to describe your thesis). I am building a display that will let you experience the magic of bioluminescent algae outside of its usual context. The algae lives in a collection of transparent units that glow as you touch them. I’m still working out the exact structure, but it will most likely be either a wall display or a 3d structure on a pedestal display.
- Who is your intended audience (gallery going audience, private consumption, online (how old, what demographic) etc)? I intend this piece to be accessible to people of all ages. It is meant to be experienced individually or in small groups of 2 or 3. Three distinct audiences seem possible: a gallery going audience, a science museum going audience, or visitors to a semi-private public space such as a hospital chapel or a hidden corner of an upscale hotel. I see the quiet and controlled environment of a gallery as a first step, but I would like the piece to eventually be experienced outside of the gallery context.
- Where does your project live and how is it maintained? This piece needs to be displayed in almost complete darkness. In an ideal gallery setting, I would display it in a medium-sized, completely dark room equipped with sensors so that the algae would glow briefly when someone entered. It would then be up to the viewer to navigate through the darkness to interact with the piece. In a museum or semi-public setting, it would need to be displayed in a darkened alcove. The algae requires 12 hours of darkness and 12 hours of light each day, so the display plan needs to take that into account. In a gallery or museum setting, the algae could be exposed to artificial light during off hours, and placed in the dark during business hours. For a semi-public space I see it as more of a night time display, so it could be exposed to natural light during the day. I still need to answer a few questions about the algae’s requirements beyond light and darkness. For instance, how long can a small population of algae live in a closed container? How can I build a structure that effectively allows some of the algae to rest in between agitations, since it requires a day to recover if it’s continually agitated for five minutes?