P001 → Algaephones
The Algaephones are bio sonic sculptures which I created as a design experiment in relationship with another organism. Over the course of a year, I spent time observing and cultivating a sample of Chlorella Vugaris algae. Instead of jumping straight into research I spent a period observing how the algae behaved in different temperatures, light levels, and other growth conditions. From this process of observation I designed growth scaffolding and bioreactors which would be beneficial to the algae. I wanted to translate the algal growth and vibrancy into something more experiential and immediate for human senses and decided to translate the algae’s growth into audible tones. The resulting sculptural bioreactors interface with a microprocessor to create a loud tone whose timbre and pitch and frequency is modified by algal growth and the light levels of the environment.