2018
Participatory installation
Petri dishes, bio ink, watercolor paper

Commissioned by The Tech Interactive, San Jose, CA
Permanent installation at the Bio Tinkering Lab

Bio Ink Plankton Cloud is a participatory art and science installation composed of 250 petri dishes, each containing a miniature “plankton soup” created with bio ink grown at the museum. Developed in collaboration with the Bio Tinkering Lab team, the project invited visitors to take part in the making of the work through hands-on workshops.

Using custom stamps based on microscopic plankton imagery, participants created their own compositions with bio ink derived from Streptomyces, a naturally occurring soil bacteria cultivated on site. Selected pieces were then incorporated into the final installation, forming a collective “cloud” of individual contributions.

The work draws attention to the essential role of plankton in sustaining life on Earth. Marine phytoplankton produce at least half of the oxygen we breathe, yet they are increasingly threatened by warming and acidifying oceans. Often invisible, this microscopic world is fundamental to planetary health.

By combining biological processes with artistic practice, Bio Ink Plankton Cloud also points to alternative modes of production. Bio inks, grown from living systems, offer a potential shift away from synthetic, polluting materials toward more sustainable methods.