Friday, 3 April 2009

STEMcloud v4.0

STEMcloud v3.0 project proposes the development and further testing of an architectural prototype operating as an oxygen making machine. Its technological matrix operates as a breeding ground for micro-ecologies found in local ponds of London (Victoria Park, Regent’s Canal and Hertford Union Canal).
The prototype consists of 9 interconnected blocks that allow for water percolation.
The starting point of the experiment is artificially defined by us and provides what scientists call a primed condition necessary to promote interaction. The prototype is filled through the top 3 blocks with river water collected from 3 different parts of Victoria Park’s pond. The three different origins of the initial state enriched with the same concentration of nutrients are gradually mixed as the water percolates through the interconnected blocks. The final concentrations of each block cannot be predicted. It is impossible to tell what kind of equilibrium will emerge within the interrelated systems or what kind of algae ecologies will grow.
The colonies present in the pond water (enriched with nutrients) interact with natural and white spectrum light and CO2 on a 24/7 basis and as a result oxygenate the enclosed gallery space where the prototype is currently built (London Fields).
The transparency and porosity of the architectural system allows for the process to be visually and materially exposed and interfere with the microclimate of the gallery. The uploaded images are captured real-time (every 20 mins) by a webcam monitoring the growth process of is micro-ecology.