Interactive Algae Curtain

Abstract: 

Our goal for this project was to create a scale model of a hanging installation that mimics the form, color, and behavior of Volvox algae, which is bioluminescent, by combining artistic and technological processes.

We aimed to simulate the food-finding process for volvox algae, which is drawn to light to create food for itself. Our simulation would use a spectrum of colored lights and sense how much light this device was absorbing.

Work division: 

> Vera programmed the Adafruit light strip with Arduino, drew the schematic, and took photos and videos. 

> Victoria fabricated the intricate “skin” of the organism using cardboard and crocheted strips of plastic as well, as wrote the results for documentation.

 > Both students contributed to the foundation of the concept and narrative of their project and shared the responsibilities for the completion of the project while refining technical knowledge.

Results:

Our objectives were to create a light-sensing device that would change color and create dispersion effects depending on how much light was being absorbed by the photoresistor. We hoped that the color changes were distinct enough to clearly convey the narrative with our project, which would show the algae’s ability to sense light. We chose to use different shades of green in the lights to convey the change in the algae’s environment and used the color blue for contrast. Mint green meant that there was no food close by the Algae and that it was in a satiated state. Neon green meant that light was shining directly on the algae and that it was exerting energy to swim towards it. Chartreuse green meant that the light was indirect but close by, and blue meant that the light was indirect but far. We also decided to cover the Adafruit lights with a “skin” of plastic strips, crocheted together in a weblike network to symbolize the membrane of the algae and to help diffuse the light in different locations to create a more natural-looking organism simulation. 

What was successful was how the narrative of an algae colony searching for food was told through lights slowly fading into different colors. The plastic crocheted net also helped to create a reflective and elegant simulation. However, it would help to push our project more if each of the individual lights in the strip behaved differently and had different brightnesses and color-changing rates. After all, in order to more realistically represent the behavior of volvox’s “eyespots,” the lights would have different behaviors. Additionally, it would have been interesting to add another photodiode and see how we can assign specific lights in our project to be sensed by each one.

Citations/ References:

1) http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=104707.0

2) https://www.adafruit.com/product/322