Challenge #10
Wave of Light: Exploring Marine Phenomena through Art-Science Synergy
Problem Statement:
Often, we are not aware of the footprint of our digital world. Can we measure the environmental cost of data centres, streaming platforms, posting and scrolling as well as digital art or our everyday digital life? Are there any other solutions?
Challenge description:
The challenge is to innovate in the realm of digital data storage. This project seeks to address the significant environmental impact of traditional data centres, which consume vast amounts of energy and contribute to electronic waste. How can we convert the binary code to minimise carbon footprint and support ecological preservation? Is DNA data storage possible? Is it a solution? The aim of the project is to highlight the urgent need to address climate change and promote sustainability in digital practices.
This challenge aligns with Studiotopia II by merging art and science to create sustainable solutions, embodying the Symbiocene era’s goals of inclusivity, resilience, and critical narratives about our world’s future.
Residency characteristics:
The residency will be supported by LAZNIA CCA which is one of the most significant cultural institutions in Poland with strong experience in the art and science field. In 2011 a special programme was established, targeting hybrid spheres of encounters of those two disciplines through a variety of activities.
Within the residency we would like to focus on the environmental cost of data storage. How can we change our habits to reduce the digital carbon footprint and support ecological preservation? What are the possible solutions? We would like to invite artist to discuss and speculate those issues and their impact on digital art/artistic archives.
The methodology of the residency will be developed in cooperation with LAZNIA CCA’s curatorial team and the LCC members. We plan to organise at least two in-person meetings which could take place in LAZNIA CCA, a laboratory, or any location connected with the project. The results of the residency are not determined at this stage. However, a group exhibition is planned for the first quarter of 2026, providing an opportunity to present the outcome of the process in any form defined by the artist and scientist.
Established artists bio:
Entangled Others (Feileacan McCormick and Sofia Crespo)
Entangled Others is the collaborative studio practice of artists Feileacan McCormick and Sofia Crespo. Their work centers around ecology, nature, and generative systems, aiming to give non-human entities a presence and life in the digital realm. The duo explores the intersections of biology-inspired technologies with questions of relationship, biodiversity, and awareness. Through their work, they emphasize how conscious efforts and new technology can bring attention to the interconnectedness and unseen aspects of our existence. Entanglement is a complex state where no entity can be considered separate or unaffected by others. We cannot exist without others, act without interacting, or speak without being heard.
LCC:
Camilla Pandolfi
with a background in Plant Physiology and Biomimetics, Camilla Pandolfi earned her PhD in Space Life Science at the University of Florence in 2008. In 2010, she received an Endeavour Research Fellowship from the Australian Government, researching plant growth under saline conditions at the University of Tasmania. She then joined the European Space Agency’s Advanced Concepts Team as a Postdoc in 2011, where she led projects in Space Biology and Biomimetics. In 2013, she won a Marie Curie IEF scholarship to study plant communication at the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology in Italy. Since 2014, she has focused on coordinating Pnat.
Roberto Beragnoli
was born in Florence in 1990 and has had a passion for illustration and painting since a young age. He completed his studies in Computer Science and Philosophy at the University of Florence before embarking on a career in design, artificial intelligence, prototyping, and MVP development. Beragnoli collaborated with WASP and PNAT, a University of Florence spin-off directed by Prof. Stefano Mancuso, where he designed the monitoring system for PNAT’s Jellyfish Barge project for EXPO 2015 in Milan. The project aimed to address sustainable food production in urban environments. Beragnoli subsequently founded his own digital art studio the same year.
Residency hosting institution
MEET Digital Culture Center
Country
Italy
Keywords
Art-Science Collaboration, Twilight Zone, Marine Snow, Data Visualization, Environmental Crisis, Symbiotic collaborations.
Related innovation areas
Biodiversity and ecological dynamics of the Twilight Zone, Impact of human activities on deep-sea environments, Innovative methods for data visualization in marine science, Role of the Twilight Zone in global carbon cycles, Art as a medium for environmental advocacy
Established artists
Entangled Others (Feileacan McCormick and Sofia Crespo)
Jury day
November 19, 2024