Deep Data

DEEP DATA Prototype 1 forms the first stage of the Deep Data project research arc, in this instance using data from space probes to recreate elements of the solar system environment within cultures of microorganisms currently used in astrobiology. The project simulates a DIY astrobiological laboratory connecting distant data streams with real time organic processes.

DEEP DATA Prototype 1 uses magnetometer data from the Pioneer and Voyager probes to recreate magnetic field experiments on cultures of tardigrades. Tardigrades are becoming one of the most important organisms in space bioscience being polyextremophiles and being able enter suspended animation for long periods of time. These dual characteristics suggest answers to life in inhospitable places and to space travel across generations.

Following an accelerated timeline the tardigrades experience the intense magnetic fields of the four gas giant planets in our Solar System and the more subtle and complex ones at its very edges. As these now ancient robotic sensing platforms reach the boundaries of known our immediate space, our perception is simultaneously collapsed into the subtle realm of microscopic processes. The installation consists of a custom designed microscope and electromagnetic culture vessel for tardigardes. Two flat monitors display the incoming data and the live video of the tardigardes with superimposed field lines as they experience the shifting magnetic fields. Information about aspects of the development process of this prototype can be found here