For thousands of years, scientists, engineers, philosophers, and artists have been thinking about time. what is that? How do we measure it? How does it affect our sense of reality?
ATLAS Institute’s Living Matter Lab examines these questions through the lens of microbiology and the emerging field of biological human-computer interaction, which combines biomaterials and digital technologies. By interacting with microbes, we can better understand how different forms of life experience time and how we can rethink anthropocentric perspectives on this concept.
ATLAS Institute champions radical creativity and invention by pushing the boundaries of interdisciplinary research. That’s why Living Matter Lab Director and Assistant Professor Mirela Alistar, Ph.D., and her lab members are using computers, nanotechnology, microbiology, and computer science to pursue a deeper understanding of alternative perspectives on temporality. We develop genetics, social sciences, and the arts. “My interest in living things stems from the common experience of life, the ‘bios’ (Greek for life) that we all share,” explains Alistair.
Observe SCOBY time
Temporality can be thought of as our relationship to time, but it is more nuanced than that. The Oxford Reference says: “In contrast to the concept of measurable and calculated time/chronology, temporality refers to the way in which a series of events, a kind of history, is physically experienced by the person living or experiencing them. It depends on how you do it.”
Alistair’s approach to temporality considers, for example, how a kombucha SCOBY (a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast that lives and ferments in a tea medium) experiences time. Bacterial growth is unique for exploring multisensory scales of temporality in that you can see, hear, smell, and touch how a SCOBY grows over many days. It is a method.
The Living Matter Lab team tracked continuous changes in the health and growth of the Kombucha SCOBY through sensors. The researchers recorded their observations each day, noting how the biofilm developed and became thicker at the top and sediment collected at the bottom as the liquid medium became lighter in color.
the sound of temporality
This is where the research takes a surprising turn. At the time, Alistar was also working to involve Boulder’s creative community in his SynthUX International Synth Design Hackathon. Home to multidisciplinary technical and creative talent, ATLAS brings together designers, engineers, artists, and musicians to explore new ways to create and manipulate sound, while competing with teams from around the world. It’s the perfect place.
Designers have been creating synthesizers that are played by natural elements (for example, using wind, water, or sunlight to trigger an audio signal), but Alistar saw an opportunity to take it even further. I did. “I decided to have a non-human creature play this instrument live while it was growing. His kit includes a photoresistor that measures the intensity of light. , SCOBY designed a synthesizer that combines them to create a light-blocking layer.”
Biodigital calendars: Engaging with non-human temporalities to understand multiple species
Originally intended to generate musical tones, this prototype evolved into a means of synesthetically measuring time through light and sound. Alistair called it the “Bio-Digital Calendar” and said, “It’s an imperfect name, but I had to call it something.” Although it’s not an exact equivalent, this project most closely resembles a calendar. he pointed out.
By converting subtle changes in light passing through the SCOBY biofilm into corresponding sounds, the synthesizer adds a more noticeable marker to the subtle visual changes that can be observed organically in the SCOBY over time . This became a process of “engaging with living things as a means of provoking humans to recognize and be attuned to non-human temporalities.” In other words, we experience microbial time in terms that humans can understand.
This multisensory approach to observing how other species experience time separates us from the way humans experience time, which is measured by the Earth’s rotation. This allows us to feel different time scales and creates a greater appreciation for (relative) slowness beyond the static beating of a clock’s second hand.
layers of understanding
Mr Alistair said: “The transformative power of research is undeniable. For example, hearing about the lives of non-human organisms can lead to creating a biocalendar or writing a paper. But there’s more to it than that. I can learn more about life. That knowledge is not just a byproduct of my research. It has a recursive impact and changes me in fundamental ways.”
The team recently presented their research at TEI2024 (ACM International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction) in Cork, Ireland, where they won the Best Painting award for their work.
Alistair and her research group believe this research could lead to the design of biodigital artifacts made from different types of organisms that encourage humans to engage more deeply with other life forms. Masu. “When we think about the future, we imagine computing interfaces that can be biodegraded and private labs that can democratize medicine. Taking an open source, collaborative approach and building a broader community that can actively contribute to research. I am always looking for more inclusive and democratic models for innovation.”
For more information about this project, please visit:
fiona bell, joshua coffeyand Mirella Alistair. 2024. “Bio-digital calendars: Attuning to non-human temporalities to understand multiple species.” in: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Physical Interaction (TEI ’24). (New York, NY, February 11, 2024).
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