The Distance Between

Tags

bacteria, biology, ecosystems, environment, microbiology, nature, research, science, Winogradsky

There is a considerable distance between Guildford, where Dr Simon Park in the University of Surrey is based, and my studio on the Lake District fringes. A factor that impacts on my collaborative project with the microbiologist, Immortal Worlds?, and the development of my scientific understanding of methanongens.  To assist in addressing this distance I decided to create my own Winogradsky columns last weekend.

A Winogradsky column is a device for culturing a diverse miniature ecosystem – a process developed in 1880 by Sergei Winogradsky. Basically, a column of extracted mud, plus added nutrients, creates am aerobic/anaerobic gradient plus a sulphide gradient over a period of months.  The two gradients vary depending on the added ingredients but all promote the growth of different organisms: Clostridium, Desulfovibrio, Chlorobium, Chromatium, Rhodomicrobium, and Beggiatoa, as well as many other species of bacteria, cyanobacteria, and algae.

As child fond of making mud pies in the middle of our unmade, puddled lane the silent infant within was excited at the prospect of revisiting that joy. And the process didn’t disappoint – mixing 0.25% egg yolks (calcium sulphate), 0.5% ground eggshells (calcium carbonate), shredded newspaper (carbon) and mud together was gloriously messy. Clearing up took longer than mixing the recipe.

The mixture was paddled into the base of a clear glass demijohn filling it to a third, then adding another third of mud on its own from the same site, adding 1/6 site water and leaving 1/6 as space. The containers were tightly sealed with a rubber bungs to prevent evaporation and then placed in the large windows of my studio, as light is key to the development of the ecosystems. Demijohns are great for sturdiness but the entrance hole being so narrow proved a challenge – a homemade funnel made out of an old drinks bottle proved the answer.

The mud was sampled from two sites – one freshwater, the other seawater – the differences will enhance the study over the next three to six weeks as the ecosystems become established.

Unlike the Winogradsky columns I created last December in Norfolk with Dr Park, these will not be kept in the heat cabinets. The columns are not part of our trial to monitor the impact of climate change on methanogens, but rather a way for me to reduce the distance between my artist’s understanding and the science, whilst being inspired by the wondrous process happening live in my studio.

Images below show the mud on day 2 – left freshwater mud from Subberthwaite Common, near Ulverston Cumbria https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Subberthwaite+Common/@54.278406,-3.124666,1711m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x6b70d063a5334d7a and right demijohn has mud from Morecambe Bay https://www.google.co.uk/maps/search/Sea+Wood,+Aldingham,+South+Lakeland+District/@54.1531111,-3.0881751,1716m/data=!3m1!1e3

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Exquisite Dance

Tags

art, environment, nature, philosophy, quotes, science

“Science is a quest for the most intimate understanding of nature.  It is an adventure of the free and enquiring spirit that thrives not so much on answers as unanswered questions.  It is the enigmas, the mysteries and paradoxes that take hold of the imagination, leading it on the most exquisite dance.”

The Rainbow and the Worm                                         Mae-Wan Ho 2008

Are you a scientist?

Are you an artist?

What do you see?

I am currently reading The Rainbow and the Worm, or in truth I am trying to understand this scientist’s viewpoint to gain a basic level of the physics of microorganisms. The writing is quite poetic in places, as I hope this quote illustrates, but when Mae-Wan steps from the rhythmic prose to the real science of equations etc I involuntarily glaze over – my brain does not understand the language. This cognitive response is making me question whether I need to comprehend, or should I accept my role as an artist is different from that of a scientist? Both disciplines attract people with enquiring minds but with different strengths. So should I glean what I can from the study and focus on my skill set or push to fathom scientific phenomena?

Who’s in Charge?

Tags

climate change, environment, methanogens, microbiology, mud, nature, research, science

Who’s in Charge?

I have learnt that working with scientists is unpredictable – I like this – it’s what we research together that stimulates my curiosity, sustains my wonder at the world and therefore acts as inspiration for my art practice. If I knew where I was going why make the journey?

The Immortal Worlds?  collaboration with microbiologist Dr Simon Park from University of Surrey, has slowly evolved.  It’s a tiny embryo of an idea worthy of some attention and initial experimenting to see if it would mature into a fully-fledged project ripe for appeals for funding.

Immortal Worlds? Our Focus

Our habit is to gaze in our frontal plane, turning occasionally left and right, above and below – but what of the world below the below – the disconnected landscape of Archaea?  Archaea are microorganisms with an ancient evolutionary lineage that traces back to the very origins of life on Earth, and yet which will still play a vital role in our future.

The focus of the Immortal Worlds? project is on mapping this unseen world of methanogens and how climate change will impact on these major producers of methane.  This gas is a significant greenhouse gas, far more so per unit than carbon dioxide, and the Archaea form a domain of single-celled microorganisms that is responsible for 70% of methane in the atmosphere, thereby making them a potent force on the Earth.

Immortal Worlds? aims to create provocative and innovative collaborative studies, that will not only experimentally and critically engage art and science, but will also spark debate about our rapidly changing world.

What will happen to this parallel world, hidden from our view, as the planet warms up?

What impact will this change have on the Earth and on us?

 Detail of mud sample in sealed column on 27 January 2014

So far…

In December Simon and I met on a site of saltwater wetland on the North Norfolk coast to extract some mud samples containing methanogens. The four columns of mud collected had to be kept airtight and left to establish ecosystems  – about seven weeks.  Simon placed the sealed glass receptacles in the university’s heat cabinets where they are now being monitored under laboratory-controlled conditions. The aim is to study the nature of the changes when the methanogens are subjected to a sustained rise in temperature of 20 degrees and 30 degrees centigrade.

After seven weeks there was little progress, Simon discovered that light is important, so the samples are now illuminated – this helped enormously but even after nine weeks it was too early. We also decided to expand the research and extract some mud from different types of sites to create a larger body of methanogens to monitor and study.

So who’s in charge? Nature of course – she won’t be rushed and the outcome of this collaboration in mid February is still uncertain. Both Simon and I will have to wait to ascertain the results to see if the project is worthy of more research and applying for project funding.

If you’re interested to find out more please regularly visit this blog or my website  http://www.jacscott.com/

 

 

 

 

In Situ

Tags

art, environment, nature, philosophy, photography, research, science

I am often asked where I situate my practice in the art and science collaboration model and what aspects of the dynamics between the disciplines entreat me – the answer is complex.  Firstly, both disciplines share an innate curiosity about the world – making them ideal partners despite different approaches – the scientist’s rigour and protocols versus the artist’s experimental wanderings and emotional uptake.

Secondly, the tension in the attempt by scientist’s to abnegate the personal, to make their research objective, is interesting and worthy of respect. Theoretical physics acknowledges that the role of the observer influences what is seen and that an amount of subjectivity is apparent. The reason this construct is fascinating is that it complicates the amount of reality out there.  As a firm believer that multiple realities exist for each individual, and that there is no other truth or reality outside of us, then the scientist’s challenge for objectivity is viewed as an intriguing conundrum.

“The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility”.

Einstein, A. ‘Physics and Reality’, Journal of the Franklin Institute

Photographic artist Susan Derges is also interested in the idea of abnegation when investigating the natural world and how by trying to remove oneself from the process it might reveal a true reality.  She captures unseen moments through infinitesimal fragments that build to illustrate images with an otherworldliness quality.  Her practice is nocturnal – harnessing the darkness and the river as her study and photographic processing lab. An aluminium slide complete with photographic paper is submerged just below the surface of the river, and then a micro-second flash above renders a photographic transparency. The flow and dynamics of the river is imprinted transposing the river’s own viewpoint from below. The colour in each image is dictated by the nature of the ambient light present at the time of shooting.  These truly beautiful and inspiring studies can be seen at http://www.susanderges.com/

Giles Revell also employs photographic techniques to communicate natural wonders. He builds up multiple images of creatures like insects then layers them to create finely crafted two-dimensional works with strong three-dimensional qualities. The results, like Derges’ work, delivers scientific outputs highly charged with ethereal overtones transforming them from cold diagnostic renderings to captivating works of art that embrace both art and science. http://gilesrevell.com/projects/insects/

Silent Wings

Tags

art, bees, disease, environment, insects, nature, sculpture, toxicology

I am in the middle of making a new sculpture informed and inspired by research into declining bee populations. The work has been gestating for many months as I battled with the challenge of how to materialise the concept. My working title for the sculpture is Silent Wings.

Research

Research threads and articles relating to bees that you may find interesting.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23308-bees-to-have-their-day-in-court-over-insecticide-use.html#.UslzBWRdX0A

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/may/01/study-links-insecticide-invertebrate-die-off

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6124/1202

http://www.chbr.org/Research/ProjectGenesis.aspx

http://qz.com/107970/scientists-discover-whats-killing-the-bees-and-its-worse-than-you-thought/

http://inhabitat.com/scientists-develop-flying-robobees-to-pollinate-flowers-as-bee-populations-decline/

http://exploringtheinvisible.com/2013/07/27/bee-jewelled-found-dead-bees-and-copper-sulphate/

Other blogs posts about this issue:

Honey Trap 28 January 2013

Save the Buzzzz 4 May 2013

19 June 2013 and 19 August 2013

Treasure

Tags

bacteria, climate change, environment, found, microbiology, mud, nature, science

Early December was a difficult time for those living on the coast – the storm surge left a path of chaos in its wake.  Microbiologist Dr Simon Park and I had arranged to meet that weekend on the Norfolk coast to extract the salt marsh mud for testing in our new science and art collaboration project, Immortal Worlds? (Please refer to posts on 12 and 20 December for more information about the project). The irony of the reminder of the consequences of climate change, in unusual and extreme weather conditions, was not lost on us as we searched for a stable site from where the mud could be sampled.

The storm had strewn flotsam and jetsam, spiked with mordant seabirds, in our path, made surreal by boats tossed on to tarmac. Whilst, hidden in the marsh, buried treasures awaited us: pieces of antique bottles and the remnants of an old hobnailed shoe – the wonder of finding such interesting artefacts seemed a small reward for braving the elements in search of mud.

The images below reveal the found shoe after cleaning.  The old shoe was caked with mud which required several scrubbings to remove – causing the shoe to fragment.  The leather body of the shoe needed a gradual drying-out period to minimise further damage.

Heard, admired, watched, rescued, treasured.

Tags

birds, found, home, moss, nature, nest, photography

Heard tiny chirps,

Admired cosseted new life,

Watched first flight.

Time passed.

Rescued shelter from winter’s grasp,

Treasure.

Goldfinch nest – part of my research into the notion of home.

In Them, In You

Tags

biology, environment, fish, nature, science, toxicology

http://www.salon.com/2013/11/21/plastic_pollution_may_be_transporting_toxic_chemicals_into_our_seafood/

It’s worth reading this article if you eat food.

 

Obsession Revealed

Tags

art, birds, consumption, environment, feather, found, nature, oil, sculpture

Beautiful Dystopias Collection

Obsession 2013

Wall based sculpture – part of the Book of Revelations Series (see below).

Materials: old gilt frame, found feathers, resin

Tension between our greed for oil and the impact this has on wildlife is evoked in Obsession.  Fauna is metaphorically represented through the reference to seabirds dying from oil slicks, abstracted by submerging found feathers in black resin, captured within an old gilt frame.  The black resin forms pools of glistening liquid mimicking oil.

This new work has been revealed at Mill Yard Studios ‘Small’ exhibition – on till 22 December.  Find the gallery in Staveley, Cumbria, UK.  Open Thursday to Sunday 11- 4

Developments of this work can be found on blog posts 14 August and 6 September.

Book of Revelations Series 2012-13

A series of wall based sculptures.

The work silently contemplates a fractured reality: the relationship between contaminated environs and the anthropocentric compass – a dishevelled mourning.  The peeling layers invite a meditation on the narrative exposed, whilst the found objects transpose and complicate the space from painting towards sculpture – settling in neither.  The brooding degradation is juxtaposed against the unsettling extravagance of the golden frame.

Our view is framed.  The duality of being is that we seek the security of frameworks in our lives whilst remaining curious about the wider world. Science and art informs and nurtures our quest for expansion to the physical and metaphysical worlds we inhabit.  The magnitude and monumental narrative of the planet ignite wonder yet conversely endow a sense of insignificance to mortal man.

Harnessing the redundant golden frame as a symbolic border, one that demarcates the contents as worthy of being luxuriously wrapped, the sculptures present artefacts dislodged from our focus of possession.  The discarded, retrieved and redefined objects are imbued with metaphor and meaning.

The damaged frame, holding fragmented spaces whilst clinging to the precious cargo, defies the loss and reveres its ostentatious past.  Metaphorically, the frame highlights the paradoxical interconnectedness between destruction and renewal, past and present, consumption and disposal. The fractured structure signals the frailty of the framework as an illusion of security.

Free Spirits?

Tags

art, found, inspiration, microbiology, nature, quotes, rust, science, sculpture

I am currently reading The Rainbow and the Worm written by Mae-Wan Ho

(at the suggestion of blogger Celia Wilson) to attempt a basic understanding of the physics of organisms.

Ho says,

“Science is an adventure of the free and enquiring spirit that thrives not so much on answers as unanswered questions.  It is the mysteries, the enigmas and paradoxes that take hold of the imagination, leading it on the most exquisite dance.”

The same statement could be made about much contemporary art and therefore it seems an appropriate read on my way to meet microbiologist and artist Dr Simon Park at the University of Surrey. I have been fortunate to receive a New Collaboration Bursary from A-N to explore the potential of working with Dr Park on a new project that combines art and science.

My approach embraces the cohabitation of art and science and how this relationship enriches both my artwork and a wider understanding of the world.  The gaps and the differences in our experiences deliver fractured realities that profile the earth as an enigma.  To try and unravel this mystery I research and collaborate with specialists from other disciplines including scientists and geographers when the tension between approaches, objective scientific verses subjective artistic, the latter further skewed by emotional and philosophical underwriting, creates dynamic outcomes that ignite curiosity and debate.

Together, both disciplines aim to capture an appreciation of the less visible imprints but as free spirits the way ahead is unknown.

Photographs: Top – research inspiration  

Others –  sculpture Atomic Equilibrium

Atomic Equilibrium 2013

Everything is made of atoms – finding the balance – an eternal quest

Dimensions: 20 x 36 x 16 cm

Materials: old wooden picture frame, found discarded door lock, hand forged nail

 

Home Again… in Southern Africa

Tags

biology, birds, inspiration, nature, nest, photography

Birds nests are generally amazing structures, (regular readers will know of my fascination with this particular shelter as a symbol of home – see other ‘Home’ posts) but all are eclipsed by those made by Philetairus socius – the sociable weaver bird who builds gigantic communal nests from sticks and grass.  If there are no trees around, as demonstrated in this shot of the Kalahari Desert, then telegraph poles will make adequate substitutes for this little feathered creature. The structures can last for decades with generations of weaver birds, often around a hundred pairs in a nest, harmoniously living together including sharing the raising of young.   The avian shelters are designed to adapt to the extremes of desert temperatures by having a thick thatched roof to screen out the scorching sun, whilst able to retain heat through the cold nights. 

http://www.dillonmarsh.com/assimilation.html

This wonderful photograph is by Dillon Marsh – please follow the link to see an insightful record of life in southern Africa by this interesting photographer.

Eyes on the Environment blog

Tags

education, environment, nature, research, science

http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/eyes-on-environment

This site is worth visiting if you’re interested in accessing understandable science.