Cyanobacteria, photosynthetic bacteria, are absorbing metals and minerals dissolved from motherboards to grow.

They facilitate biogenic sedimentation of such minerals slowly, transforming landscape. “Biogenic Timestamp” is a project researching the links between geological and biological time. We are exploring different aspects of material manifestations of temporality and placement using an array of time based artistic practices and new developments in synthetic biology, working with cyanobacteria as model organisms. The concept of time (and its manipulation) as manifested by cyanobacteria and its by-products represents a fertile ground for the exploration of different modes of time-based art practices.

The project involves artistic research in some of the places of biological and biogenic geological significance, as well as lab work to explore the possibility of human-induced biogenic formation. By considering geological and human-derived biogenic formations, our artistic research will provide an alternative utilization and critical interpretation of synthetic biology. (IWASAKI Hideo + Oron CATTS + Juan M. CASTRO)