The technology exhibit “Atlas in Silico” at this year’s Ingenuity Festival could help us understand “metagenomics”–and in doing so, gain an insight into both ourselves and one of our major contributions to the global economy. Gene research!
I first noticed Ruth West, director of visual analytics and interactive technologies at the UC San Diego National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research, with her last exhibit, “Ecco Homology.” This project brought biologists, artists, and computer scientists together to compare genetic similarities between humans and the rice plant! The exhibit produced an immersive environment which generated scientifically accurate, stunning visualizations of the building blocks of life.
When I spoke to her in 2007, she was feverish about finishing her new project, “Atlas in Silico.” “The point of the artwork is to show that we are all a part of the flow,” West said, and then launched into an explanation that went beyond my grasp of “the new era of metagenomics,” but I understood enough to see the connection between her reflection upon humanity’s biological quest for understanding and the gene work coming out of the labs of Northeast Ohio!
This exhibit should also be interesting to our community on a sustainability level. The data used is from the Sorcerer II Global Ocean Survey, which collected samples of the microbial biodiversity of Earth’s oceans, producing data which could help us work toward biological energy production, bioremediation, and possibly the management of greenhouse gasses! Check out http://camera.calit2.net for a better understanding of metagenomics in general, and the Ocean Survey in specific.
I’ve been hearing some exciting developments at Ingenuity board meetings and a staff meeting to which I was granted access…I’ll report more soon! In general, the Ingenuity Festival is the best hope for raising public awareness of complex technologies being developed here. There’s always so much to do and learn, so please let me know about any exciting exhibits or demonstrations I shouldn’t miss!
Me? I can’t wait to experience Atlas in Silico…
Tags: Add new tag, ingenuity, Ingenuity festival
July 9, 2008 at 7:24 pm
[...] Silico, at Last! « Cleveland ex Machina Category: Art, Events [...]
July 10, 2008 at 3:18 am
Good to see you here . . .
July 11, 2008 at 10:50 am
This could be the “sleeper” huge hit of the festival. frankly i think its very cool but it is quite difficult to explain to people. we willl have it at a very prominent place: first floor of the Idea Center. and thank you for your persistent advocacy of this exhibit – you made sure it stayed!
July 29, 2008 at 6:48 pm
I thought Atlas in Silico was cool, and I’d like to give it another shot, (especially now after reading this,) but ultimately, it didn’t do it for me.
I was most enthused with the the control, navigation, maneuvering, manipulating ~ but I didn’t wait around long enough to don the gloves, myself. The system froze a couple times while I was in there, and required reboots (of-sorts), and there were a number of other people waiting for a turn.
The concept is great, and, actually, I think their execution of space navigation and object manipulation was excellent — (don’t know how much of that was home-grown.)
However, the information component wasn’t being delivered effectively, and, absent of that, anyone looking to be dazzled by pure beauty would’ve been slightly disappointed.