Energy Illuminations
Energy Illuminations is a collaboration between Abbey Hepner and Jason Hullinger. It is a series of street lamps filled with bioluminescent algae and bacteria. The lamps are connected to microcontrollers that are activated when energy-related keywords appear on Google and Twitter. The bioluminescent organisms illuminate when the online conversations are active. Algae is a source of remediation for radionuclides in the ocean (a discovery that happened off the coast of Fukushima after the 2011 nuclear disaster.) Because major media news coverage about the ongoing nuclear disaster has declined, citizen awareness and activism is increasingly important. Energy Illuminations connects biological remediation to virtual conversations, suggesting that perhaps we heal through continued awareness and through demanding transparency when it comes to our health.
Energy Illuminations was part of the 2015 Paseo Electronic Arts Festival in Taos, New Mexico and was presented at the 2015 International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) in Vancouver, Canada.
Algae Street Lamp, 2015, 6’x2.5′, Construction material, steel, plastic, bioluminescent algae, Raspberry Pi microcontroler, servos, electronics
Bacteria Path Light, 2015, 4.5’x1′, Construction material, steel, plastic, water pump, bioluminescent bacteria, Raspberry Pi microcontroler, servos, electronics
Energy Illuminations
Bioluminescent Algae Lamp
Bacteria Lamp
Performance at the Paseo Electronic Art Festival
Algae Lamp
Performance at the Paseo Electronic Art FestivalBioluminescent Algae Lamp from Abbey Hepner on Vimeo.
Energy Illuminations is a collaboration between Abbey Hepner and Jason Hullinger. It is a series of street lamps filled with bioluminescent algae and bacteria. The lamps are connected to microcontrollers that are activated when energy-related keywords appear on Google and Twitter. The bioluminescent organisms illuminate when the online conversations are active. Algae is a source of remediation for radionuclides in the ocean (a discovery that happened off the coast of Fukushima after the 2011 nuclear disaster.) Because major media news coverage about the ongoing nuclear disaster has declined, citizen awareness and activism is increasingly important. Energy Illuminations connects biological remediation to virtual conversations, suggesting that perhaps we heal through continued awareness and through demanding transparency when it comes to our health.
Energy Illuminations was part of the 2015 Paseo Electronic Arts Festival in Taos, New Mexico and was presented at the 2015 International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) in Vancouver, Canada.
Algae Street Lamp, 2015, 6’x2.5′, Construction material, steel, plastic, bioluminescent algae, Raspberry Pi microcontroler, servos, electronics
Bacteria Path Light, 2015, 4.5’x1′, Construction material, steel, plastic, water pump, bioluminescent bacteria, Raspberry Pi microcontroler, servos, electronics