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My materials got lost in the NYU mail, some Petri dishes and the laboratory agar which trigger a quest all through the Asian and natural markets to get at least edible agar powder. I wanted to have M(y)Crobes sensors on use as soon as possible. It took me almost a day and seven stores later to find just two boxes of agar, but I had my material nevertheless. Then… I melted my sensors trying to sterilize them.

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Biosensors necklaces and in situ

Lately, I’ve been thinking about having a pet, I’ve been a little obsessed with it and after yesterday’s quick and dirty thesis show, Sebastian Morales thesis got my attention. It was a project where viewers were able to see living microorganisms through a website and bots generated by the number of visits had an impact on the living conditions (food) of this organisms. It got me thinking on my living canvas project, especially the part of times of data that could be recollected and its physical influence on the project and in water beards [Tardigrades], how cool would be to have water bears as pets, if the can survive in outer space they might survive clumsiness. The problems are that you’ll need a microscope to see these micro animals, but getting a foldscope might be an option if I really really wanna see a Tardigrade.

Manu Prakash inventions are brilliant that is for sure, I’ve been wanting to have a foldscope for so long but I particularly appreciated his blood centrifuge and, the economics behind it. It is easy to imagine the impact of such objects in places of the world where economics, infrastructure or geographic isolation can make the diagnosis of life-threatening diseases almost impossible, and to think is inspired in a very simple toy! Between Prakash low-cost medical inventions and Mine Kafon project, the difference that they could make in countries like Colombia. After the peace negotiations that ended a conflict of 5o years with our biggest and oldest guerilla organization, some territories were open to the government. Demining has been a non-stop endeavour, some places are still dangerous and difficult to reach as the population that lives nearby. I wasn’t expecting Mine Kafon to be open source, and thinking about it with ITP on my mind where we breath open source, most of this invention that have a huge social and medical impact should be.

Thanks to Stefani who shared the files of M(y)crobes, a project made by The Cotard Syndicate which she is part of. I started 3D printing/laser cutting the biosensor, to track the individual biotic micro-system of some ITP members.

At the moment I’m waiting for some materials to arrive on the floor. Some Petri dishes to take samples of specific places from ITP, substrates and others. Also, I want to test the growing processes of different materials like bacteria, fungus [mycellium] and plants [microgreens] for this project. See how far I can affect the growth rate and path; see which materials work under the idea of an art installation, and the physical computing that I might need. I booked some office hours with Daniel Rozin this week to show him this project.

How can we make the invisible visible? How can we make our approach to microbes and bacteria more amicable and meaningful? How to spark a healthy discussion? Art could help take away the “ick” around this organisms and change the way we relate to them.

Living canvas is a map that explores [ITP] cohabitation and the impact of a shared microbiota. Its main purpose is to visualize the invisible organisms and recognize patterns through data, sample collection and [bio] material.

M(y)crobes project for an individual track of ITP members biotic micro-systems

              What if each member was just one microbe?

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“There is no love without shared microbiota”

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LIVING CANVAS / ITP MICROBIOTA MAP

I approached Eric Rosenthal this week with my project or at least the little pieces of it that made sense. I’m struggling to not only create a coherent project but a meaningful one for me. I think he noticed this struggle and at the end of our conversation, he encouraged me to take the path that felt right. I really appreciated his word and feedback, I came out of his office a little more confused than before but in a good way.

If my point Is to make the invisible visible. What exactly is the invisible? The bacteria itself? The colonies? The flowing? All of these are invisible. If the purpose is this project is to change the way we respond to the “ick” factor bacteria has and create new ways of representing this microorganism. How can I accomplish that?

Eric made some fair points. Somehow I was married to the idea that if I wanted to study and expose the microbiota, especially the one that as ITPiers we shared, I needed to sample the bacteria in Petri dishes, map it and graph it. But it had several implications, like the fact that ITP is not a controlled area to take measures that should be taken in a much more controlled environment; that there are other ways to see that it’s not a biohazard. Also, that seeing it is not enough.

I want to continue with “there is no love without shared microbiota” and explore it in ITP as a community, as one massive creature that breathes, moves and code. While looking at ways to make connections I remember the original wood pieces that belonged for so many years to our floor. Now framed as tokens of remembrance of those days, each day passes and we are closer to our new Brooklyn floor. Why not exploring this cohabitation as something that is very much alive in constant fluctuation. I’m interested in the visual approach as well as the material possibilities to map the impact that our presence as individuals and as a group can have in a space. How alive is it?