Biopoiesis

Biopoiesis.

© 2011-2012 DPrime Research.

Biopoiesis is a series of experiments exploring the relationships between structure, matter, and self-organization. The project features the construction of analog computation and control systems that harness electrochemical reactions and form what can be described as a computational "primordial soup." Information (an electrical signal) is passed through electrodes to a tank filled with a metallic salt solution (e.g. stannous chloride). The resultant electrochemical reaction grows into dendritic metallic threads - ultimately leading to the formation of a continuously shifting signal network that can be used to develop a complex, self-organizing media system.

Carlos Castellanos is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher with interests in embodiment as it relates to systems theory, artificial intelligence, and artificial life. He is exploring the aesthetics of information technologies and their effects on lived, embodied human experience. This has taken a variety of forms, including scholarly writing, net art, interactive installation, sound, performance, and techno-conceptual systems. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the School of Interactive Arts and Technology, Simon Fraser University (Canada), and splits his time between Vancouver and San Francisco.

Biopoiesis.

© 2011-2012 DPrime Research.

Steven J. Barnes holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia (Canada). Trained as a behavioral neuroscientist, his neuroscientific expertise lies in the areas of learning and memory, psychiatric disorders, epilepsy, neuroplasticity, and metaplasticity. He currently teaches neuroscience and psychology at UBC; does research in the areas of (non-traditional) virtual reality, bodily awareness, and embodied cognition; and runs a consulting and programming business.

Biopoiesis was developed by Carlos Castellanos and Steven J. Barnes of DPrime Research.