1st Place 2008 : Marine diatoms, Pleurosigma (200x) taken by Michael Stringer, Westcliff-on-Sea, UK. Stringer is not a microscopist by profession, but has been interested in diatoms for over 60 years, collecting them on Two Tree Island in the Thames Estuary, UK.
"I like to think (right now please!) of a cybernetic forest filled with pines and electonica where deer stroll peacefully past computers as if they were flowers with spinning blossoms."
-David Greene, Gardener's Notebook (Archigram)
30 days after collected sample being migrated to a observation tank.
Top layer from the decayed life forms was removed to a different salt water tank with natural sunlight and limited oxigen. No sign of new life form after 20 days.
Seawater, seaweed, life rocks, sand, living shell and snail collected from Portmouth beach. The shell and snail died after 7 days due to lack of foods and dehydration, but dead bodies were left in the tank for decaying. The decayed dead shell and snail supplied nutrients for new air born bacteria and diatom.
Existence of diatom colonial after 14 days. Declining water level due to evaporation left some dead diatom colonials on the wall.
Unknown sesame-like-creatures found on the life stone.
Most of the seaweed did not survive but some do. The tank condition is now very bad for new life form but perfect for some micro-organism such as algae or diatom.
decay continues...
The design concept is inspired by the process of programmed cell death; deliberate cell suicide, which enables organs and limbs to develop. This process is crucial to the shape and function of every organism. Carole chose to echo this principle in her collection of garden furniture and textiles that will evolve with time; the final forms only to be revealed at the end of the ‘apoptosis’ process. Using biodegradable (natural) and durable (synthetic) materials. Portions of the furniture and textiles will slowly biodegrade to reveal different final forms. The process of biodegradation will also support C. elegans, which feeds on the bacteria that live in soil and compost.
Suicidal Textiles is a collection of sustainable garden textiles and outdoor textile furniture inspired by the process of apoptosis in C.elegans and the research of Sir John Sulston,
“Programmed Cell Death or Apoptosis” inspired the collection of suicidal poufs, parts of which slowly biodegrade over time to reveal a final form.
“Ubiquitous and Overlooked” inspired a collection of garden textiles which pays tribute to C.elegans.
“Common Threads” inspired the range of materials used in the production of the collection.
“Aperiodic repeat” inspired the design of a Toile de C.elegans with an aperiodic repeat, which plays with the historical icon of the Toile de Jouy but references DNA maps, and the C.elegans genome.
Neri Oxman is an architect and researcher currently based at MIT where she is a Presidential Fellow working towards her PhD in Design and Computation. She is a graduate of the AA School of Architecture and previously a medical scholar at the Hebrew University and the Technion Institute of Technology. Her work has recently been displayed at MoMA, now part of its collection.
Oxman's first-generation rapid manufacturing technology for depositing material with gradually varying physical properties has won her The Earth Awards, watch the interview on at a gala held at The Four Seasons Restaurant in New York on January 12, 2009.
