Primordial
Primordial is a generative artwork made from code, depicting a stylised, coloured take on cellular microscopic life. The flow of organisms projected onto the floor are audio responsive, moving and growing to the pulse of sound. These creatures navigate the space in their own freeform way, naturally encouraging viewers to flow into the exhibition.

Ascent
Ascent is a large-scale site-specific light installation that embodies a variety of archetypical and physical associations – from microscopic observations, electromagnetic wave dynamics, and atmospheric phenomena of a whirlwind to a spiritual epiphany. Most importantly, Ascent offers a unique immersive experience, that invites the viewer to become its central point, and transforms the perception of the viewer on a sensual level. The light and the fog create a monumental dynamic space that is participatory, the space that opens up a new dimension and directs the attention toward the bodily sensations in the explicit environment. The viewer is free to approach the work according to its own sensual response, but direct interaction can offer the potential to evoke a new perceptual imagination.

The Man from the 9 Dimensions

Based on the latest scientific data and hypotheses, Takashi Shimizu, the pioneer of horror movies, visualizes the world as theoretical physicists see it in order to create a new kind of science movie. The world’s first 3D full-dome movie on the “Theory of Everything”; the ultimate goal of physics to describe all natural phenomena by a single, consistent theory. Physics is in crisis. Our understandings of the microscopic world of elementary particles and of the macroscopic world of the universe are in contradiction. Scientists are striving to resolve the contradictions and construct the Theory of Everything. Be ready to be surprised by the new world of vibrating strings and hidden dimensions predicted by the most promising hypothesis, the Superstring Theory.

Scientific Advisor: Hirosi Ooguri

Director: Takashi Shimizu

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“I look at forms in nature for inspiration – from microscopic organisms like bacteria and viruses, to moss covered stones, branches of trees, the human body, seedpods, landscapes, star charts, etc., then try to bring all of these disparate elements together in the work”

Microscopic Opera

Les micro-organismes peuvent-ils aussi être des artistes? Comment notre relation à ces créatures change-t-elle, après qu’elles sont vues dans un contexte artistique et théâtral? À la recherche d’un micro-organisme qui aurait les qualités d’un interprète, j’ai été présenté à C. elegans; un petit ver, de moins d’un millimètre de longueur, qui se déplaçait aussi élégant que son nom l’indique et la première créature à avoir séquencé tout son génome. J’ai été intrigué lorsqu’un chercheur m’a dit que, pour distinguer les vers au microscope, il utilisait différentes mutations qui modifiaient la façon dont ils se déplaçaient. Certains se déplacent en spirale, d’autres ont roulé ou ont des contractions et certains sont devenus morbides obèses à cause de leurs mutations. Dans mon installation, j’ai cinq boîtes de Pétri remplies de cinq vers mutés différents, chacun se déplaçant légèrement différemment. Ces cinq groupes d’interprètes sont filmés avec un microscope USB diffusé en direct sur les cinq écrans. J’ai écrit un logiciel spécial qui suit les vers et traduit leurs mouvements en sons, faisant d’eux les interprètes non avertis de la musique dans le monde macroscopique au-dessus de leurs têtes. Alors que les chercheurs sont presque comme des dieux pour ces vers impuissants, les contrôlant de leur première à leur dernière division cellulaire , j’espérais donner aux vers le pouvoir de nous affecter également dans notre monde.

Autorreflejado
El Dr. Greg Dunn (artista y neurocientífico) y el Dr. Brian Edwards (artista y físico aplicado) crearon Self Reflected para dilucidar la naturaleza de la conciencia humana, uniendo la conexión entre el misterioso cerebro macroscópico de tres libras y el comportamiento microscópico de las neuronas. Self Reflected ofrece una visión sin precedentes del cerebro en sí mismo, revelando a través de una técnica llamada micrograbados reflectantes el enorme alcance de coreografías neuronales hermosas y delicadamente equilibradas diseñadas para reflejar lo que está ocurriendo en nuestras propias mentes mientras observamos esta obra de arte. Self Reflected fue creado para recordarnos que la máquina más maravillosa del universo conocido está en el centro de nuestro ser y es la raíz de nuestra humanidad compartida.

Median
When examining any living substance at a microscopic level, there are almost no perceivable boundaries between human and non-human bodies. In this work, Hiroaki Umeda, a Japanese choreographer, dancer and visual artist, pursues his longstanding belief and fascination that a human body is an intrinsic part of nature, where there is simply no distinction with other living things. For Umeda, choreography is not only limited to human bodies but for anything that is capable of movement. In MEDIAN, he explores the choreography of cells, molecular forms and organic synthesis, bringing into human visibility another world of movement, light and sound.

As above
As Above is a short film exploring the tight link between the microscopic world and immensity of the universe. Illustrating our universe’s never ending dance of destruction and creation, in which life can emerge. As Above was made of one single shot filmed on the 8mm2 (0.3 square inch) surface of a chemical reaction. The environment in which we live, is at the constant mercy of the ever changing flow of planets, stars and galaxies… As well as the composition of the microscopic world. “As Above” is an invitation to contemplate the beauty of this perpetual movement of which we are part of… And perhaps invite the viewer to reflect on his position in the universe and the preciosity of life.

Particle Falls

Particle Falls is a large-scale, real-time visualization of air-quality data.On a background of falling blue light, spots of bright, fiery color emerge and crackle, representing the presence of fine particulate matter, as detected by a nearby air monitor. Fewer bright spots over the falls mean fewer particles in the air.Particle Falls draws our attention to the invisible particles that surround us and that may affect our health. While the visible smog that plagued many U.S. urban centers decades ago has been mitigated by technology and regulatory measures, microscopic threats to our air continue to exist and often go unnoticed. Particle Falls is one way we can learn more about the quality of air around us.

CMD
Here are 2 artificial ecosystems sharing a light source. Access to this light source is granted through a market. Each colony of photosynthetic bacterias can claim access to light thanks to credits earned for their oxygen production. The rules driving the market are optimized through a genetic algorithm. This artificial intelligence is testing different populations of financial systems on these 2 sets of Cyanobacteria. Like so, the photosynthetic cells and the computer are experimenting with different political systems granting access to this resource. The system oscillates between collaborative and competitive states. The genetic algorithm pictures the rules of these proto-societies as genes. By breeding populations of societies, new generations of markets arise. Like so, the sum of microscopic series of events determines the status of the system at a macroscopic scale.

Self-Reflected

Dr. Greg Dunn (artist and neuroscientist) and Dr. Brian Edwards (artist and applied physicist) created Self Reflected to elucidate the nature of human consciousness, bridging the connection between the mysterious three pound macroscopic brain and the microscopic behavior of neurons. Self Reflected offers an unprecedented insight of the brain into itself, revealing through a technique called reflective microetching the enormous scope of beautiful and delicately balanced neural choreographies designed to reflect what is occurring in our own minds as we observe this work of art. Self Reflected was created to remind us that the most marvelous machine in the known universe is at the core of our being and is the root of our shared humanity.

Roombot
Biorobotics Laboryator
The individual Roombots are about the size of fat grapefruits, but one day they could be much smaller. Vespignani and his fellow researchers are investigating ways for the bots to communicate among themselves, like bacteria. In a hundred years, maybe the individual units will be so small as to be microscopic–and instead of summoning 10 friendly robots from different corners of the room, a person could summon something as nebulous and numerous as an army of technological spores.

Esseline is a Biomimicry designer. She draws her designs with nature as a source of inspiration. Her recent designs are inspired by the beautiful shapes and patterns that you see when you look at cells at a microscopic level. The arrangement of lines in her flat design has a major influence on the final bulging of the printed 3D objects.
Photographer: Andy Hendrata

The Petal Room
The Petal Room consists of 3,500 real flowers, 6 million paper petals designed to fall with beautiful trajectories, a signature scent, and sensor-activated lighting that incorporates microscopic scans of flowers. These elements stimulate the senses and allow visitors to feel physically connected to flowers and nature.

Ольга Земска
stillness in motion
Via her website, “Olga often attempts to make visible those concepts or properties that are indiscernible to the naked eye, such as cellular formations or magnetism. By making visual associations between the visible and the invisible—or the microscopic and the macrocosmic—Ziemska poetically underscores the interrelatedness of all things.”

THE INNER LIFE OFF CELL
Harvard University selected XVIVO to develop an animation that would take their cellular biology students on a journey through the microscopic world of a cell, illustrating mechanisms that allow a white blood cell to sense its surroundings and respond to an external stimulus. This award winning piece was the first topic in a series of animations XVIVO is creating for Harvard’s educational website BioVisions at Harvard.