Time Fall from Marko Manriquez on Vimeo.

What

Time Fall was a fully functioning immersive waterfall sculpture developed for my Video for New Media final for Spring 2010.  The aim of the prototype was to create an immersive experience, bathing the viewer inside an amorphous, suspended world of light and sound that responded to one’s presence.

Background

Inspiration for this project came from an initial desire to explore the natural phenomenon of luminescence that Bioluminescent Dinoflagellates ((Pyrocystis luluna in this case) emit and to recreate a tangible, biomorphic environment combined with spatial media. As an immersive projection surface, the waterfall installation explores the somatosensory experience of the suspension of time. How does one materialize or capture the somatosensory experience of the suspension of time within an immersive yet humanmade environment of tangible user interfaces, motion-sensitive sensors or blobular projection surfaces that retrack and recoil?

User Scenario

A user will casually walk by the installation and become intrigued by the visuals and and texture of the installation. Upon closer inspection, their movement and proximity will trigger an interaction or response from the installation.

Implementation

This waterfall installation occupies an area 4 ‘ L by 2′ W by 8′ H (although the prototype is completely scalable). The structure is a pvc pipe system connected to a sump pump resting inside a 2′ by 4′ plastic container basin with a wood covering for aesthetics. Water is recycled from the basin and pumped up to the top of the installation’s fountain head. Water flows out between to layers of 1 mil plastic. There are two advantages to this design: It contains water from spraying out onto the floor (essentially no water gets out) and it allow people to “touch” the waterfall without getting their hands wet, creating a nice tactile sensation.

 Suspended Animation

An interactive installation of biomimicry recreating the sensation of floating or swiming in a glassy, calm ocean filled with Bioluminescent Dinoflagellates (Pyrocystis luluna) – suspended somewhere between the stars and earth.

Interactive elements:

Sound – underwater samples triggered with Max/MSP and/or SuperCollider.Visual – macro closeup of algae illuminating screen. Similar to Bill Viola’s “He Weeps for You”.

Architectural – motion-sensitive biomorphic, blobular projection surfaces that move towards you then retrack and recoil.  Similar to Ernesto Neto’s organic, amorphous installations.

Interface – tangible UI, breath, vibration motor?

Challenges:

Technical -

•Algae generate low lumens

• Algae luminesce for a very short duration

• Algae life span

Conceptual -

• Why add superfluous layers of technology to a naturally occurring phenomenon?

• Zooming out, how would this art installation be rendered without the glossy veneer of technology?

• Why so many layers of technology?

 Why?

To explore the fundamental processes in living systems and their potential application in architectural and interactive installation.

How to materialize or capture the somatosensory experience of the suspension of time within an immersive environment.

To explore themes of biological time and synchronicity with the potential of unicellular (dinoflagellates) and multicellular (humans) to synchronize their respective biological rhythms.

Further random implementation thoughts:

Reorient the view by laying down; balancing on something; triggering motion; heartbeat; dream (REM) measurement; brainwaves; breath or blowing on a microphone to agitate the dinoflagelates the more you blow the more it shakes – the more they glow the brighter and louder the luminance and sound. Video projected (floor or ceiling mounted?) biomorphic, blobular projection surfaces that move towards you then retrack and recoil (Gaudi/ pattern morphed using Nitinol circulating frame, laser cut paper mask).Low frequency bass vibrates the bed underneight. Divide screen into quadrants. Perhaps resample audio stream of 9Beet Stretch to intensify effect of time suspended.

Bioluminescence in Dinoflagellates: Basic Facts

Bioluminescence is the light produced by a chemical reaction in an organism. It occurs at all depths in the ocean, but is most commonly observed at the surface. About ninety percent of the organisms that live in the ocean have the capability to produce light.All bioluminescence reactions involve an oxygen oxidation of an organic molecule (luciferin). The reaction is catalyzed by an enzyme called a luciferase.

Physical agitation causes the bioluminescence intensity of the enzyme-substrate reaction.The luminescence of one dinoflagellete lasts for 0.1 to 0.5 seconds.Four main uses for an organism to bioluminesce have been hypothesized. It can be used to evade predators, attract prey, communcate within their species, or advertise. Bioluminescence is used to evade predators and acts as a type of burglar alarm defense mechanism in dinoflagellates. Dinoflagelletes produce light when the deformation of the cell by minute forces triggers its luminescence.Most bioluminescence is blue for two reasons. First, blue-green light travels the farthest in water. Its wavelength is between 440-479 nm, which is mid-range in the spectrum of colors. Second, most organisms are sensitive to only blue light.

Quorum Sensing of Microorganisms:

Bonnie Bassler delievers a fascinating TED Talk on her discovery of how bacteria “talk” to each other, using a chemical language that lets them coordinate defense and mount attacks.

In 2002, bearing her microscope on a microbe that lives in the gut of fish, Bonnie Bassler isolated an elusive molecule called AI-2, and uncovered the mechanism behind mysterious behavior called quorum sensing — or bacterial communication. She showed that bacterial chatter is hardly exceptional or anomolous behavior, as was once thought — and in fact, most bacteria do it, and most do it all the time. (She calls the signaling molecules “bacterial Esperanto.”)The discovery shows how cell populations use chemical powwows to stage attacks, evade immune systems and forge slimy defenses called biofilms.

For that, she’s won a MacArthur “genius” grant — and is giving new hope to frustrated pharmacos seeking new weapons against drug-resistant superbugs.Image of bioluminescent red tide event at a beach in Carlsbad California showing brilliantly glowing crashing waves containing billions of Lingulodinium polyedrum dinoflagellates. The phenomenon is thought to have something to do with quorum sensing. (quorum sensing is the ability of bacteria to communicate and coordinate behavior via signaling molecules.)