Gene A. Felice II: Dioluminescent Organisms

Gene A. Felice II (UC Santa Cruz): $3,500 for Dioluminescent Organisms. Graduate Arts Grant

Dioluminescent Organisms is a project Gene Felice was developing as a graduate student in the Digital Arts & New Media Program at UC Santa Cruz. His research was a hybrid practice, often involving collaborations between the arts, technology, and the sciences. In this installation, he chose phytoplankton as his primary subject of artistic research as it is the first link in our oceanic food chain. He explored biomimicry as it relates to bioluminescent phytoplankton and the effects of the human-made phenomena known as “First Flush”. In this project, he applied the “interaction mechanisms” of bioluminescent phytoplankton (Lingulodiinium Dinoflagellate), found throughout the world’s oceans, to engineer a “dioluminescent” system as an interactive exhibit for learning and thinking about our impacts on ocean health.