Sleeping Algae

Alissa Shaw, New Norfolk High School

In collaboration with Dr Eduardo Gorron, CSIRO

Artist’s Statement

I was inspired by my scientist Eduardo from CSIRO. I came up for the idea for my project after visiting Eduardo’s lab because I was very interested in the algae that must be under red light in a fridge to slow their growth.

Eduardo is researching how algae can be used to create a vegan source of omega to reduce fish consumption. This would have a positive environmental impact because it would reduce overfishing and fish-based products. He’s also looking into how algae can capture carbon by exploring genetic mutations in the algae to make them work harder and thus positively impacting climate change.

My artwork is a glass mosaic that has different shapes and colours of glass. I used a clock base that was painted white, reflecting the petri dish that the algae was stored in at CSIRO. To make the glass shine, I proceeded to put LED lights around the interior edge of the clock. I have chosen to keep it on a red light, because they keep some algae under red light to reduce its growth and keep it small and formed, kind of like it’s sleeping.

The design of my artwork was inspired by a picture that Eduardo shared with me of a marine diatom called Actinoptychus senarius. It looks like a flower under the microscope and has a cell wall made of silica which is why I chose to use glass.

I would like the viewers to feel like they’re being dragged into my artwork, like they’re opening a fridge into a scientific laboratory.