While it might not be the first thing that comes to mind when artists look for inspiration, Arizona State University art student Phillip Carrier is using the tiny plants as his muse for an art installation project.
Carrier will blend art and science together throughout two summer semesters on the ASU Polytechnic campus as the inaugural artist in residence at the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI). “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work on a project that fuses the fields of art and technology, especially with the research community at AzCATI.” Carrier said. “Their in-depth research in algae will be an essential catalyst for my artwork and I’m excited to dive in to this project.”
Gary Dirks, Director of LightWorks and Director of the Global Institute of Sustainability at ASU added, “Artists like Philip tell stories that instruct us or stimulate us into thinking about what that future is going to look like.”
Projects like this highlight the wonder algae can still hold for those that work with it. Sometimes in our scientific and industrious pursuits it’s nice to remind ourselves of the simple beauty this tiny organism holds.
