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Andy Gracie (UK)

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Deep Data Prototype 3

Commissioned by Meta.Morf 2016

The Deep Data project is an arc of developmental work, prototypes and research connecting deep space exploration with terrestrial extremophiles, model organisms and the science of astrobiology. The project uses sensor data gathered from deep space probes and planetary explorers such as Pioneer 10 + 11, Voyager 1 + 2, Cassini/Huygens, New Horizons and the various Martian rovers.

Drosophila Titanus

‘Drosophila titanus’ is an ongoing project which through a process of experimentation and artificial selection aims to develop a species of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster that would be theoretically capable of living on Saturn’s largest moon Titan. While being a virtually impossible project to ‘successfully’ complete in pure scientific terms, ‘Drosophila titanus’ sites itself as a process within the ongoing discourse surrounding the complex relationships between art and science.

Andy Gracie – Drosophila titanus
Andy Gracie – Drosophila titanus
Andy Gracie – Deep Data Prototype_2
Andy Gracie – Drosophila titanus

 

Deep Data Prototype 3

Via a simultaneous study of the data from deep space probes and of microbiological processes we can explore the twin concepts of possibilities for life and the foundations of life. Deep Data has as its central methodology the parallel exploration of these two concepts.

The project also examines the issue of systems boundaries, and proposes that we must keep looking outwards to find those boundaries. To accomplish this it begins to look at the outermost information we have, and that is the information fed back to us by the deep space probes such as Pioneer and Voyager. Deep Data also proposes cultural and critical examination of our quest to find other forms, habitats and strategies for life.

The Deep Data project is an arc of developmental work, prototypes and research connecting deep space exploration with terrestrial extremophiles model organisms (single celled organisms that have evolved to live and reproduce optimally in extreme environmental variable), and the science of astrobiology. The project uses sensor data gathered from deep space probes and planetary explorers such as Pioneer 10 + 11, Voyager 1 + 2, Cassini/Huygens, New Horizons and the various Martian rovers. Recently the project has begun to incorporate the findings of deep space telescopic systems. Data from these probes is used to recreate specific conditions within cultures of terrestrial microorganisms currently used in astrobiological and general space research.

Deep Data Prototype _ 3 (the one exhibited in the Meta.Morf exhibition) uses data from exoplanet search platforms such as Kepler, KELT and CoRoT. Part of the installation mines data from these devices, looking for Earth analogs (rocky planets up to twice the size of Earth) and calculates their relative gravity. These gravity values are passed to the second stage which houses 3 computer controlled centrifuges. Within these centrifuges are cultures of Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode worm and one of the most important and versatile model organisms used in space-based bio-research. C elegans flying into space for a microgravity experiment were the only living organisms to survive the ill-fated space shuttle Columbia mission STS-107 in 2003. The connection between C elegans, space and extremes of gravity is compelling.

The work presents a terrestrial astrobiological experiment, the nematode worms experiencing by proxy the parameters of gravitational reality on unexplored and possible future worlds. Our observation remains with the experiment, not the data of the experiment. While we can observe from time to time the behavior of the organisms within the system, our attention is kept focused on the narratives and concepts described by the scientific processes that the work frames. On the one hand we are reminded of the pressures and impacts that these microscopic organisms can withstand, and what that tells us about ourselves. On the other hand we are reminded of how isolated we are on Earth. Despite the increasing rate of discoveries of other planets, we only have the painful realization that we may never know if other sentient creatures are there or not.

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Drosophila Titanus

‘Drosophila titanus ‘ is an ongoing project which through a process of experimentation and artificial selection aims to develop a species of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster that would be theoretically capable of living on Saturn’s largest moon Titan. Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and, so far, the most Earth-like place that we know; it has a thick
atmosphere, continents, wind and rain. However, despite these similarities it is a radically different place.

While being a virtually impossible project to ‘successfully’ complete in pure scientific terms, ‘Drosophila titanus’ sites itself as a process within the ongoing discourse surrounding the complex relationships between art and science.

Drosophila melanogaster is one of the so-called ‘model organisms’, the workhorses of modern bio-science. Owing to its 95% genetic similarity to humans it has been used extensively in space-based experiments to determine the effects of microgravity and radiation on the body, and has had a near continuous presence in space through the biosatellite programs of the 1960s, Mir, the space shuttle and the International Space Station. Drosophila continues to inform us how our own future space biology might be, and how the human body will need to adapt to make a space-faring future possible.

Using drosophila and Titan as metaphors for human and Earth, respectively, ‘Drosophila titanus’ employs the methodologies of experimentation, simulation and artificial selection to explore themes of species, biological perfection, perception and future life.

By necessity the project needs to adhere to a rigorous scientific methodology. However, it endeavors to extract artistic metaphor, poetry and ambiguity from these apparent creative restrictions. Concurrently the work embraces several interwoven narratives and concepts related to issues of species, artificially created organisms and the disquieting quest for biological perfection.

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Andy Gracie, London -1967, works across various disciplines including installation, robotics, sound, video and biological practice. This work is situated between the arts and the sciences, creating situations of exchange between natural and artificial systems which allow new emergent behaviours to develop. The underlying focus of his activities has often involved a study of organic intelligence, emergence and the placing of technological agents in situations where they are able to network with natural systems. More recently his work involves reactions to the science of astrobiology; notions of the origins of life coupled with a re-examination of its boundaries. His practice employs scientific theory and practice to question our relationships with environment and the notion of the ‘other’ whilst simultaneously bringing into focus the very relationship between art and science.

His work has been shown internationally and has included several special commissions for new works. He has also presented at numerous conferences and seminars internationally and has written and published a number of articles and papers. His work has also been featured in books by Stephen Wilson, Linda Weintraub, William Myers and Dmitry Bulatov.

His large scale installation ‘Autoinducer_ph-1’ has received honourable mentions from VIDA and Ars Electronica in 2007. The ongoing project ‘Drosophila titanus’ received an honorary mention from Ars Electronica in 2015.

Andy Gracie