Donut Tank (Bioreactor #2), 2019
Galveston Artist Residency
Galveston, Texas
Donut Tank (2019) is a site-specific art work exhibited in the solo exhibition NAUSEA at Galveston Artist Residency in Galveston, Texas. In collaboration with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) marine habitat research specialist, Kristopher Benson and I developed the pictured photobioreactor. The sculpture cultures neon-green Nannocropolis (algae) - a local strain of the Gulf of Mexico’s microalgae present in harmful algae blooms (HABs). The sculpture prompted nannochloropsis to multiply at exceedingly higher rates through increased proportions of UV exposure, nutrients, and circulation. Over the exhibition period, the work transformed into a living still life, employing light and nutrients to generate pigmentation. As the algae proliferated, the sculpture rendered a dark green to black pigmentation until it perished from overpopulation. Analogous to HABs in the Gulf of Mexico, the sculpture underscored the fragility of ecological systems rather than celebrating anthropocentric supremacy over Earth.
Week 2
Acrylic, Nannochloropsis (algae), glass, flexline tubing, LEDs
24h x 24w x 1d IN
Week 5
Algae Death