My role in the Confluence show includes the co-curation, production and art creation for this peer reviewed museum invitation by the Cameron Art Museum to create a 4-month long show by the Algae Society titled “Confluence” http://algaesociety.org/blog/confluence/ My role as an artist in the “confluence” exhibition is broken down into the following roles and art projects:
Producer: The Algae society formed from a core group of seven artists and scientists from around the globe that have been working together and collaborating for the past five years. Each show we’ve done has been in the home city / country of each member, with the hometown host, producing, co-curating and contributing work to the show along with each of the other members. Pre-pandemic several Algae Society members would travel to that city / country and assist with the install. The “Confluence” show at the Cameron Art museum was unique in that only one additional Algae Society member could assist with the show curation & install, in this case Professor Jennifer Parker at UCSC. As the producer of the event, I personally managed a 20K budget with a quarter of the funding coming from a Research Momentum grant that I was awarded at UNCW. I created several of my own personal and collaborative projects, installed and in several cases fabricated or 3D printed other members projects sent to me as digital files. I handled all of the communication, meetings, equipment purchases and timelines with the Cameron Art Museum as well as new artists to the collaborative that contributed work throughout the show.
Co-Curator / Installer: As mentioned above, Jennifer Parker and I both installed and co-curated the show from all of the work that was submitted from the other Algae Society members including our own work. The installation took place over 10 days in early January with some assistance from the Cameron Art Museum staff.
Individual / collaborative Artist: To help distinguish between my work as an individual and as a collaborating artist I have listed the following breakdown of works that I created in the Confluence show:
Visions of Algae: a collaboration with Professor Jennifer Parker & Dr. Juniper Harrower – For this project I co-designed the overall project with my collaborators. I personally designed & 3D printed over 150 3D printed ring frames, prototyped & fabricated all of the aluminum rod and metal mounting pieces and CNC milled the soy-based plywood bases as well as finishing them with natural pigments blended with shellac. Jennifer Parker & Juniper Harrower curated and printed all of the 2D images and dipped them in an encaustic material and then shipped them to Wilmington for me to mount in the ring frames. http://algaesociety.org/blog/visions-of-algae/
Wall Cells: I designed the wood components of the wall cells digitally and then had them CNC milled / fabricated from native cypress wood. I personally created silicone molds and cast the pine resin panels on the front of the wall cells and tinted them with spirulina powder with holes fit for peep hole lenses. I created sculptural installations inspired by Marcel Duchamp with custom LED lighting for 4 of the 10 cell forms. I shot and edited video microscopy of algae species in the Cameron pond w/ assistance from Dr. Catharina Alves-de-Souza for one of the wall cells and curated videos from 5 other algae society members for the remaining cells. For one of the cells, I collaborated with my wife Chynna Felice and her 3rd grade students at the Wilmington School of the Arts to create a stop motion animation about sea turtles and their nesting grounds in the Sargasso sea. http://algaesociety.org/blog/wall-cells/
Cultivating Collaboration: I collaborated with Dr. Juniper Harrower to create a systemfor growing images from algae. Juniper created a system that exposed the petri dishes of chlorella algae from below through images printed on acetate and I created a video projection system that could be seen and exposed from above. After several prototypes we decided to move forward with my system for the confluence show’s Bio Art Lab. Juniper created half of the images that we projected, and I created the other half, all focused on larger mammal species dependent on a balance with algae. I also created the pedestal / automated overhead projector system and procured a bio reactor on loan from the Center for Marine Sciences at UNCW to display and grow the algae being used in the algae image system. http://algaesociety.org/blog/cultivating-collaboration/
Pacific Coast Seaweed in Wrack: I collaborated with Professor Jennifer Parker on this project, combining our two collections of Pacific coast seaweed for the installation. Jennifer arranged and curated the algae samples onto the wall for the Confluence show and I developed the process to cure and preserve the seaweed within a mix of pine resin, bees wax and jojoba oil. http://algaesociety.org/blog/pacific-coast-seaweed-in-wrack/
Cameron Pond Microscopy: Starting in August of 2021 and extending throughout the run of the show, I collaborated with Dr. Catherina Alves-de-Souza, director of the Algal Resources Collection at UNCW, taking monthly water samples from the Cameron Art Museum retention pond as well as two other nearby ponds for comparison. Each month Dr. Alves-de-Souza shared microscopy techniques while I shared new methods & technology for capturing both still and video microscopy. Dr. Alves-de-Souza’s and Professor Felice’s video of the microorganisms found in the samples are shared in several of the multimedia installations in the Confluence show, including one of the Wall Cell pieces, the center monitor in the cxploration center and the window video projection mapping installation on display during the Bioluminescent Thursday events. http://algaesociety.org/blog/cameron-pond-microscopy/
Confluence Exploration Center: I created a space in the confluence show to explore algae through digital microscopes connected to large flat screen monitors, handheld magnifying glasses and our lightboard of cast algal forms. Visitors can also browse our libraryof algae themed books. http://algaesociety.org/blog/exploration-center-for-all-ages/
Floating Island Ecosystem: I created a floating island bioremediation and water sensor / sculpture space for the Cameron Art Museum retention pond. The pond enables us to have a direct collaboration with a local aquatic ecosystem, capturing microscopy imagery of its living systems while translating data from the island’s built in water quality sensor bank that I created. Simultaneously it provides a reciprocal benefit of reducing bacteria, micro plastics and other toxins in the pond through a process known as bioremediation. I researched and planted an array of native water plants throughout the island, filtering the water by absorbing nitrogen and phosphates through their roots, helping to reduce algae blooms which lead to low oxygen environments where toxic bacteria can grow. The island will include a 3D printed, algae inspired structure that connects to the Confluence show in the Cameron Art Museum as well as a solar powered data transmission system. After dark, the island will pulse with light and color, translating data into a multi-media display. Dr. Catherina Alves-de-Souza and the Algal Resources Collection at UNCW have consulted by helping with the collecting of water samples from the pond and analyzing it’s array of organisms through microscopy. http://algaesociety.org/blog/floating-island-ecosystem/
Bioluminescent Thursday’s: I transformed the confluence interior space by creating an array of video projection mapped imagery onto Madison Creech’s “Pond Scum” vinyl cut window installation and the surrounding walls and projects, creating a dazzling array of light and shadow play. These evening events have featured VR, sound and custom lighting / video effects, dance / performance, live streams from Algae Society members around the world and more, every other Thursday during the run of the Algae Society’s Confluence show. Visitors had the chance to see the show in a new light and discover the various ways that Confluence explores our complex relationships with algae. http://algaesociety.org/blog/bioluminescent-thursdays/ Bioluminescent Thursday’s at the Cameron Art Museum: January 27th ~ February 10th ~ February 17th ~ March 3rd ~ March 17th ~ March 31st ~ April 14th
