Team:ArtCenter MDP/Notebook

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research

brainstorming

Culture Reserves / Modeling Life:

Ecosystem Design / Rewiliding & De-Extinction:

Evolution / Time & Scale:

Coding Life / Using Nature to Carry Out Human Processes:

questions

As we developed our concepts certain questions kept coming up for us:

concept development

design

The ecosystem surrounding the pool became our site for investigation; our site to "play out" our design, questions, and speculation. Researching Los Angeles' own history of fetishized backyard aquatics, we found that the density of pools was drastically different from neighborhood to neighborhood. Beverly Hills had the highest concentration of private lagoons, while urban center-city Long Beach had the fewest. Designing an experiment to simulate different community scales, we created our own model pool communities and placed them throughout the city.

Our first investigation centered on two miniaturized communities of three pools, built to reference the god's-eye view of geodesic satellites. On a sunny rooftop in Pasadena, CA, we inoculated two groups of six pools with algae samples from across Los Angeles. Measuring the contamination rates, acidity, population, and color of the pools against a constant, we were able to determine productive environments for algae contagion.

Our second investigation enlarged our geographic scale and context. With two inflatable kiddie pools placed 10 miles apart, and with algae from the Los Angeles "River," we simulated the actual backyard experience of tending for a biofuel pond and observed how the system integrated into the vibrant urban ecosystem.

Our third investigation incorporated our deep research into the sustainable production of biofuels and proposed an extended Los Angeles County boundary to include more water and c02 sources for better biofuel production. Los Angeles has a long history of aquatic imperialism dating back to the largely illegal import of water from hundreds of miles away. In a search for a more sustainable future, Los Angeles' creation of a "green belt" of algae conducive land in a deterministic manner would not be surprising.

site visits

Based on advice from our advisors, we started to grow our own algae as a way to prototype and simulate our localized fuel production model. Creating home growth algae kits, we needed to source algae from around Los Angeles. Samples were pulled from the Huntington Library Koi Pond (pictured right), turtle ponds in Chinatown and at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, and from the Los Angeles River.

simulation 1

For our first investigation, we built two miniaturized communities of three pools on a sunny rooftop in Pasadena, CA. We introduced algae samples from ponds and rivers across Los Angeles and monitored day to day growth and activity for four weeks. We measured against a constant, observing contamination rates, acidity, population, and color of the pools. With enough to time to grow a large colony, we were able to determine how to create productive environments for growth.

To create the models, we used CNC milled foam for houses and vacuum formed plastic for the pools. All samples were collected by hand, and water replenishment was carried out daily.

simulation 2

In our second investigation, we enlarged our geographic scale and context. Our growth sites were 10 miles apartment, one in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, and the other in Highland Park. Using two inflatable kiddie pools, we introduced hand-collected algae from the Los Angeles River. Because the experiment was done at a human scale, the work of tending the algae colony grew exponentially. The pools required stirring and monitoring, with mosquitoes and raccoons making regular visits to both sites. By actually incorporating the pools into backyards, we were able to explore the behavioral outcomes of actually monitoring an active biofuel pond.

The pool models we used were store-bought inflatable pools for children. All samples were collected by hand, and stirring, skimming, pH testing, and partying was carried out daily.

so.cal. igem meetup

Over the summer Media Design Practices hosted the Southern California iGEM meetup. We had been in contact with local teams such as UCLA, CalTech, LA Biohackers, and UCSC and found time to organize a group session in our Pasadena Studio. We talked about current iGEM projects, learned about genetic synthesis, and socialized with other interested and interesting people. Knowledge transfer definitely occurred.

observations

Throughout the process, we realized numerous insights:

First, mosquito control became a serious problem. As a West Nile outbreak sizzled in the region, we had to find tools that could address the problem without hurting algae growth. We ended up using bug bombs to attack the larvae, anything more powerful would have negatively influenced growth.

Second, the pools' integration into the urban ecosystem required constant surveillance to watch for animals. In the heat of summer, raccoons, squirrels, cats, and opossums all took interest in the algae pools.

Third, the perception of the surrounding community became more intense and the simulations wore on. Neighbors were often grossed out by the pools, and sensed some sort of danger from the algae growth. To promote knowledge and interaction, we began holding "pool parties" and inviting neighbors to take part in communal maintenance.

Fourth, maintenance needs became increasingly labor-intensive. Materials like yeast were needed to jumpstart growth, and pH testing and color observation became daily activities. Environmental changes also needed to be made to create a healthier growth environment, and it was common for us to move pools to sunnier areas.

insights

The process of simulating biofuel production and multiple scales led to valuable insights about sustainable production on a large scale:

First, we learned that wildlife management would be come a pressing matter as scale increased. Control of the environment surrounding the pools was key, and moving forward new methods for addressing wildlife interaction would be needed. Proposed solutions would involve signage and new pool access (or inaccessibility), incorporating design changes with a spatial reimagining.

Second, finding ways to research and disseminate farming techniques to maximize yield would become necessary on a community to community basis.

Third, the economy born out of large-scale production became the largest sphere of change. Beyond how the shift from a gasoline-based to an alternative transit economy would affect the city, the necessity of new technicians began to alter the future community. The pools created a need for an entirely new specialized industry, and the technical expertise would be needed in every pool-inclusive community.