#creative-pulse #bio-art #NewMediaArt > [!quote] A quick workshop experiment where algae data, glitch music and LiDAR sensing meet to create visuals that grow, glitch and decay depending on how you treat them. This project began in a workshop with the theme of _playing with nature_. Early on, a colleague suggested using data from light-sensitive algae. He had gathered this dataset for his own research and we decided to use it as the foundation for this piece. Another colleague, with a background in music research, trained a model using the same dataset to produce a strange and glitch-filled soundtrack. I used that audio as a second reactive element. The visuals responded both to viewer proximity, tracked through LiDAR sensing from an iPhone and to the shifting textures in the music. This created an experience shaped equally by movement and sound. > [!video] Interactive version > <div style="position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe src="https://iframe.mediadelivery.net/embed/479977/b2be4bc5-2fcd-4490-8b14-308b2ed4efce?autoplay=false&loop=true&muted=false&preload=true&responsive=true" loading="lazy" style="border:0;position:absolute;top:0;height:100%;width:100%;" allow="accelerometer;gyroscope;autoplay;encrypted-media;picture-in-picture;" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div> The original inspiration for me came from a different organism entirely. I came across lichens and was struck by the fact that they are a symbiotic mix of algae and fungus, playing an important role in the health of many ecosystems. My initial idea was to let people interact with microscopic projections of lichens and see how their actions could either nurture or harm them. Although that project was not selected for the workshop, the principle of symbiosis remained central to my thinking. In _Bio Oscillation_, I applied the same concept. The LiDAR acted as a stand-in for environmental conditions. If a viewer came too close for too long, the visuals would fracture as if scorched by too much sunlight. If they stayed too far away, the visuals would break apart in a different way, as if starved of light. When the distance was balanced, the visuals thrived. > [!video] Flow-field version > <div style="position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe src="https://iframe.mediadelivery.net/embed/479977/dc59f279-6aa0-4b9b-b29c-175d7e17d94b?autoplay=true&loop=true&muted=true&preload=true&responsive=true" loading="lazy" style="border:0;position:absolute;top:0;height:100%;width:100%;" allow="accelerometer;gyroscope;autoplay;encrypted-media;picture-in-picture;" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div> This piece was built as a proof of concept, so the interaction logic was not as refined as I had hoped. The visuals did not yet change fully in response to the exact amount of time a viewer remained close or far. Still, the process opened up new possibilities for me. It confirmed that I want to keep exploring how biological ideas can be transformed into interactive digital experiences and that the principle of symbiotic balance will continue to guide my future work.