This article is from Wikipedia.... I have been reading about bioluminescence and have often wanted to work with certain fungi for a project.

Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Its name is a hybrid word, originating from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring form of chemiluminescence where energy is released by a chemical reaction in the form of light emission. Adenosine triphosphate(ATP) is involved in most instances. The chemical reaction can occur either inside or outside the cell. In bacteria, the expression of genes related to bioluminescence is controlled by an operon called the Lux operon. Bioluminescence has appeared independently several times (up to 30 or more)^[vague] throughout evolution.^[1]

Bioluminescence occurs in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as microorganisms and terrestrial animals. Symbiotic organisms carried within larger organisms are also known to bioluminesce.

Attraction

Firefly larva

Bioluminescence is used as a lure to attract prey by several deep sea fish such as the anglerfish. A dangling appendage that extends from the head of the fish attracts small animals to within striking distance of the fish. Some fish, however, use a non-bioluminescent lure.

The cookiecutter shark uses bioluminescence for camouflage, but a small patch on its underbelly remains dark and appears as a small fish to large predatory fish like tuna and mackerel swimming beneath it. When these fish try to consume the "small fish", they are bitten by the shark, which gouges out small circular "cookie cutter" shaped chunks of flesh from its hosts.

Dinoflagellates have an interesting twist on this mechanism. When a predator of plankton is sensed through motion in the water, the dinoflagellate luminesces. This in turn attracts even larger predators which will consume the would-be predator of the dinoflagellate.

The attraction of mates is another proposed mechanism of bioluminescent action. This is seen actively in fireflies, which use periodic flashing in their abdomens to attract mates in the mating season. In the marine environment this has only been well-documented in certain small crustaceans called ostracod. It has been suggested that pheromones may be used for long-distance communication, and bioluminescence used at close range to "home in" on the target.

Repulsion

Certain squid and small crustaceans use bioluminescent chemical mixtures or bioluminescent bacterialslurries in the same way as many squid use ink. A cloud of luminescence is expelled, confusing or repelling a potential predator while the squid or crustacean escapes to safety. Every species of firefly has larvae that glow to repel predators.

Communication

Bioluminescence is thought to play a direct role in communication between bacteria (see quorum sensing). It promotes the symbiotic induction of bacteria into host species, and may play a role in colony aggregation.

Illumination

While most marine bioluminescence is green to blue, the Black Dragonfish produces a red glow. This adaptation allows the fish to see red-pigmented prey, which are normally invisible in the deep ocean environment where red light has been filtered out by the water column.^[4]

The end of an old year in favor of a new year... has me thinking of the cycles of life, change, resolutions, and inevitable consequences. I will be exhibiting an installation called "Contained Garden" at the end of Jan for a group show called "Lumen" put on by Asha Ganpat. The artwork will be presented in a dark gallery space and the only light will come from the artwork which will all be self-illuminated.

Here is my artist statement for the piece:

Contained Garden is a terrarium installation that includes living plants, dirt, vines, dried spines, human spinal column and human calvarian cut skull.  The installation is illuminated with grow lights from above and lights placed within the terrarium. The effect is an overgrown surreal landscape reflecting the beauty and abjectness of nature. The skull and spine are overtaken by grasses and vines as life overtakes death in an endless cycle of mortality. Vines and roots spill out of the terrarium, seemingly growing from below the wrought iron stand, as if nature cannot be contained, even in art. The soft subtle sounds of the woods at night emerge from the terrarium beckoning the viewer to come closer.

In my wanderings over the internet I came across a site of quotes regarding nature:
www.spaceandmotion.com Quotes
"Deep Ecology is concerned with the Metaphysics of Nature, and of the relation of the Self to Nature. It sets up ecology as a model for the basic metaphysical structure of the world, seeing the identities of all things- whether at the level of elementary particles, organisms, or galaxies- as logically interconnected: all things are constituted by their relations with other things ... Applying this principle of interconnectedness to the human case, it becomes apparent that the individual denoted by “I” is not constituted merely by a body or a personal ego or consciousness. I am, of course, partially constituted by these immediate physical and mental structures, but I am also constituted by my ecological relations with the elements of my environment- relations in the image of which the structures of my body and consciousness are built. I am a holistic element of my native ecosystem, and of any wider wholes under which that ecosystem is subsumed ... From the point of view of deep ecology, what is wrong with our culture is that it offers us an inaccurate conception of the self. It depicts the personal self as existing in competition with and in opposition to nature [We fail to realise that] if we destroy our environment, we are destroying what is in fact our larger self." (Freya Matthew) (Fox, 1995)
"I believe in God, only I spell it Nature. " (Frank Lloyd Wright, 1869 - 1959)

other images from Ampersand

Some recently roughly scanned images from Ampersand Mountain...

I spent some time this past week photographing around Ampersand Mountain and near the Lake Country of the Adirondacks. The first afternoon was a sad an attempt at climbing up to the top of Ampersand which failed because of ice and a stubborn clumsy bulldog. But the next day I lugged my Mamiya RZ into the surrounding old growth forest at the base of the mountain and spent five hours studying all the beauty and abjectness that a late autumn ancient forest has to offer. Being so still and quiet while setting up each shot offered an opportunity to really see the woods, and hear and smell and touch. Wildlife emerged out of holes and from a distance.  Climbing off trail to get to some particular fallen tree, my hands grasped layers of moss and lichens, soft and wet. We never got to see the view at the top of Ampersand, but many of the hikers rushing past us never got to see the forest like I did. It takes patience to be still, but I think spending several hours just sitting on a log in the middle of the woods, is just as rewarding as a panaromic view.

“If there were a little more silence, if we all kept quiet… maybe we could understand something”
-Federico Fellini

In a few days I will be spending a week in the Adirondacks. The intention is to photograph for the  Bodies of Dirt project in the surrounding Primeval forest areas. According to a book on Ancient Forests, the Adirondacks has one of the largest tracks of first growth or Primeval forest area in New York State. Roughly 300,000 acres. I have been  to some old growth areas in the Catskills recently but am particularly excited by the huge scale that areas in the Saranac Lake region have to offer. The opportunity for silence is another experience i will savor.  Being in a forest area covered with lichen and moss, with a mixture of evergreen and broadleaf woodland seems to dampen sound, everything is brought to a whisper, even the wind. It invites contemplation.

Sound for proposed installation idea : Phobic Garden

Does men's choral singing sound like flying stinging insects?

Hmmmmmmmm

new brochure for Clandestine Garden almost done, will be creating a PDF version to email for those who are interested.

Space smells weird....

In a news report astronauts describe the fact that space does have an odor.

One of things Ford wasn't ready for is the weird smell.

"From the [spacewalks] there really is a distinct smell of space when they come back in," Ford said from the station in a Friday night news conference. "It's like...something I haven't ever smelled before, but I'll never forget it. You know how those things stick with you."

In the past, astronauts have described the smell of space as something akin to gunpowder or ozone.

Red for a while: Clandestine Garden in Red

As I have been walking around during the day I have noticed the most wonderful shades of red foliage and flowers that are being planted for late summer. What a beautfiul site to see shades of maroon, deep purple, blood red and rust mingled together with very little green in one garden installation. Strange how your mind works out an art project before it even exists. Perhaps that is another evolving theme for Clandestine Garden, red of nature and red of man-made objects... such as the rust from the damaged area of a crash car mingling with the red of a flower.

A recent study conducted at Cornell (hard to believe but true) showed that men were more sexually attracted to women who wore red than other colors, like blue.

Matadors use red capes to antagonize bulls (along with spikes in their dicks)

A red flag means warning... be cautious

Red cars are thought to be unlucky. We give lovers red roses. Red cool-aid was served at Jones Town.

Red = lust

Red= violence

Red = passion

Red = love

Red= rage

Tek-Tanik
New Show: Tek-Tanik at the Arts Guild of New Jersey. Opening Sept. 11th with reception Sept 13th from 1-4pm. Curated by Evonne Davis.

Here is her description of the group show:  I have 4 works in the show, including two pairs of images from the Body of Trees series.

September 11 – October 9, 2009 
Reception: Sunday, September 13, 2009 1-4 PM 
Featured Artists: Kate Bonner, Tammy Renee Brackett, Kyle Coniglio, Lisa Di Donato, Lisa Elmaleh, Dahlia Elsayed, Jacob Galle, Michelle Levante, Patick Millard, Stephen Mishol, Matthew Nicolosi, Joan Pamboukes, K. Shelton, Dmitry Strakovsky, Emma Wilcox, Sue Zwick 
Evonne Davis, Guest Curator

tectonic |tek'tänik| adjective 
1 Geology of or relating to the structure of the earth's crust and the large-scale processes that take place within it. 
2 of or relating to building or construction. 
DERIVATIVES 
tectonically |-ik(?)le| adverb 
ORIGIN mid 17th cent. (sense 2) : via late Latin from Greek tektonikos, from tekton 'carpenter, builder.'

“The idea behind this exhibit is influenced by an appreciation for Charles Darwin, Kiki Smith, Noam Chomsky, Andy Goldsworthy, Robert Smithson, e.e. cummings and others.

|tek'tänik| will attempt to explore the relationship between our physical environments and our emotional/psychological environments. Where we are physically has a great deal of impact on how we feel and identify on many levels, short term and long term. This exhibit will deal with issues of environmental health and relates those issues to health of community and spirit.

Questions asked will include: How do we create and recreate ourselves around our spaces? Does the shape of our internal lives reflect the literal shape of the structures that surround us? What impact has the wealth of technological advancement made on our thought/emotion processing?

Often we are unable to analyze an event or experience until we occupy a changed space giving us distance not only linearly but physically from the event we try to understand. As our environment changes so do we. We adapt to changes large and small.”

– Statement by Evonne Davis, Guest Curator

Phantom Motorists: How do we make urban legend and ghost stories? While reading a wonderful book I found in the trash called Weird US, I came a across a section on haunted roadways. Strange headlights are seen in the distance, phantom hitchhikers beckon from the side of the road, and sometimes even jump in your car unexpected.  Sometimes these roads are just in isolated areas which gives them that spooky qualitiy. But usually there is a common ingredient to creating a haunted place... a violent act usually occured somewhere nearby and enough people talked about it to create a mythical version of the events. What if Clandestine Garden could become such a place... a highly concentrated series of people coming and experiencing a place of violence in an isolated wooded parkland of NYC. Could art and enough people create a haunted place that becomes well known afterwards?

I will also particpate in a group show at the Arts Guild of Rahway NJ...

Four peices were selected.. when the shows opening will be don't know just yet.

Show is called Tectonic and is curated by Evonne Davis of Aferro Gallery fame.

Here is one of the images for the show.

I will be presenting at Conflux Festival 2009 !!! Clandestine Gardens looks like it will happen...

Needless to say I am very happy.. I will be putting together a portal all things Clandestine Gardens in the next few days... and thanks Glowlab for letting me participate. More images from the site.

Clandestine Gardens: 

I applied today for Conflux 2009.. some of the writing they suggested you read on psychogeography was very inspirational and would like to learn more about the Situationists.

But here are some quotes I took: 

"The erotic charge of psychogeography was undeniable, the rousing sexual conquest of having fully explored and overcome the exoticism of the city – this was accentuated by a famous piece of situationist graffiti, "I came in the cobblestones." The SI promised, "We will play upon topophobia and create a topophilia." 

Here is my proposal and a bunch of stream of concious notes I took for the project:

Clandestine Garden will be located in Fort Washington Park at the site of a fatal car crash near the Henry Hudson Parkway. Using this debris left behind, relocated plants and other items I will create a feral garden installation suggesting violence and beauty of the space, a pilgrimage site. A platform from branches will allow visitors to spend time here. Solar lights will be set up for visiting at night. A journey must be made through the thick wooded area to gain access to the temple. Fear is overcome. The lure of the space fills the visitor and they react accordingly. Whatever inspiration comes to mind…Pray, meditate, plant flowers, paint, have sex, have a picnic, write a poem, whatever comes to mind and to document their experience through photos, video or writing which they will be encouraged to share online.  A website with a link to Twitter, Facebook and email will be set up to document each visitors experience, turning topophobia into topophila.

and some further thoughts:

In areas such as heavily rustic and overgrown parkland, which is further isolated by the abrupt cut of a highway and a tangle of cloverleaf overpasses a sense of forboding and phobia is to be expected…

Areas so isolated that the debris of fatal car crashes are left behind, as if the quick pace of disentigration will take back our man-made objects that much sooner in such a remote area..

Sites of extreme violence have always been places where people have visited. A sort of distopic tourist destination.. they hold a powerful emotional reaction… a room becomes imbued with ghosts, the imagination of what had happened there takes hold. Gettysburg, Aushcwistz, Ground Zero are now all major tourist attractions. Platforms are erected, displays of that violence are shown.

The sites of fatal car crashes are similar in feel, but become more personal in nature. Fake flowers, teddy bears, large ribbons, crudely made crosses and sign posts indicate dates and names of the victims. 

 The insanity and disbelief of such thick and overwhelming nature… let loose and uncontrolled in the largest city in America.

But we are in Manhattan… the screech of cars is terribly close.. like the rush of fast flowing river, but mechanical and not as soothing…

These wooded places are places of crime, violence, and sexual tension.. a location for a prostitute to take her john, a gay meetup place, or a perfect location for predatory rapist. It holds some privacy, but also holds the sexual tension of being “caught” in public, the added danger of being seen and exhibitionism. There is also the air, the trees, the brambles, the thorms, the dirt, the rock edges, the discomfort, that harkens back to a more primitive experience of our sexuality… something only remembered on the cellular level till we re-enter these spaces and feel the lure of freedom

Hester Pryne lets down her hair and loosens her bodice as she enters the woods… 

My first official review of my artwork... by a freshman Seton Hall college student... you have to start somewhere I guess.

This was for my peice in the Lilliput show "Microscopic Love". 

"Microscopic Love: In the beginning it is seen from afar and then when it's the beginning of the relationship you have to spend time to dissect and break apart to see what is inside. Then it is broken apart unitl able to see the person from the inside. The love is a symbol of a wall and it is broken down in the relationship and that is when everything is seen and you open up and are free and also express yourself freely. Everything is more relaxed, clear and then you are able to form the relationship, which is shown by the heart at the end of the video. The person who is receiving the love sucks up all your love and that is what they feel when they say that person "loves me".

I don't know if this my full intention with the peice but I kinda like it. It has a nice young optimistic spin on love, not quite my jaded idea of relationships between lovers... but I like this spin on it....

Here is the end piece of the video shown on a small Ipod screen. It is a drop of blood suspended in seminal fluid and then a heart drawn in blood on a peice of glass then semen is added to dissolve the heart. 

Rather silly to write about a show you just in instead of when it begins... but Seton Hall Walsh Gallery just ended it's Lilliput show as of July 27th. Here is a small excerpt concerning my piece...

"Lilliput: Tiny Art for Big People" features works by 47 artists from far-flung locations including South Orange, Michigan, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. There were no specifications directing artists as to theme, but they were instructed to submit pieces no larger than 1.5 inches in any direction."

"Among the entries was a series of six toothpicks whittled into forms including a lumberjack, giraffe and hummingbird by Michael Drummond; a series of doctored stamps including one with the face of Bernie Madoff and the inscription "Commemorating greed" by Michael Thompson; a video installation with a microscopic view of blood and semen with the recording of a heart beat from an EKG by Michelle Levante; and a two-part installation in which video taken from one pedestal is beamed onto a tiny TV set in front of a miniature chair in another part of the room by Boris Petropavlovsky and Anna-Alisa Belous." Cotton Delo, South Orange Patch.