Living matter as the medium to elaborate sculptural processes through time. Bio-Sculpture as a unit to measure growth, scales, temporal lines and research on fungal colonies.

During the process on experimentation on materials research towards the development of the phase 1 of the ongoing research project Terras Lux, I have tried to document and develop a methodology for studying biomaterials and the processes that emerge in the making. Following procedures and understanding the relation between the body and the developing of structures of knowledge that unfold during the handling of biomatter. Biomaterials are a very important part of the developing of new narratives in which creation and experimentation engages with emerging narratives that continuously envision new systems and ways of existing for societies. We are living an era of discoveries and technological advancements on the convergence of the biological field with the arts, and this flow of innovations should go hand in hand with the evolution of society’s ethical, spiritual, and cultural values.

As part of Terras Lux Project first phase experimentation with biomatter, I am developing biomaterial units as time signals within the frame of macro scale, human scale and micro scale.

The title is: “Time measurement bio units”

 

During the development of the phases of the ongoing research project Terras Lux, different methodologies have been used to experience the process in the materials research. The slowly growing of fungal colonies as a result of soil placed on the agar bioplastic sculptures, transforms the bioplastic volume into a unit to measure materiality through time and space.

Inside the phase 1 of Terras Lux Project, the properties of soil have been observed and related with the production of biomaterials and materials research, also conducted enquiries on biotechnology, microbiology, chemistry, microscopy and the creation of philosophical thinking that explores the energetical dimension of the project as scientific, spiritual, artistic and philosophical. All these within research of the micro scale. To unify the different scales of materiality and micro scale, observation of biomatter has been done under the microscope, allowing the project to immerse into the visualization of diverse types of organic matter: biological samples, biomaterials, chemical compounds, elements of natural ecosystems and soil.

The creation of bio sculptures in the search for an interface between soil and human body has been part of the process on focusing on materials research. It all started with matter in relation with the human body and time, then the research evolved into philosophical thinking and the elaboration of frames of knowledge, in an attempt to create new narratives that connect the project with the energetic fields of the universe as well with ancestral wisdom and future societies knowledge, simultaneously.

The bio sculptures are attempts to create units of measurement, in which we can observe the flow of time, the transformation of matter, the microbial life on each piece as a microecosystem. The properties of bioplastic submerge us into the study of chemistry, a fascinating realm that is part of the interdisciplinary research conducted on Terras Lux Project. The sculptures are made of organic compounds to produce bioplastic, like agar and glycerol. When the sculpture is solidified it allows us to appreciate the temporality through its matter, temporality as transformation and the appearing of fungal colonies on the surface. The sculptures are measurement units to observe these colonies, then, further research is conducted by observing the colonies under the microscope. The bio sculptures on this project “Time measurement bio units” showcase the existence of 2 different dimensions, the human scale dimension of the bioplastic sculpture and the micro scale that is seen observing the fungal colonies under the microscope. The bio matter sculptures are multidimensional during its creation and temporal existence.

Other elements of the bio sculptures are the use of light as medium to create textures and visualize the growth of living matter on the surface. Also, during the preparation of the bioplastic, in some cases, the addition of spirulina to the bioplastic produces a sculpture that showcases microecosystems formed by microalgae, derived from the spirulina. The bio units of measurement are just one small part of the ongoing research project Terras Lux, and more investigation and processes will follow on the next phases of the project.

The next are images of the stages of the bio sculptures: