Cryptographic Beings Artwork

interactive installation, kinetic sculpture, vertical tower, modular construction, transparent chambers, living plants, grow lights, industrial aesthetic, technological apparatus, biomorphic integration, high contrast, chiaroscuro lighting, cool gray, warm amber, viridian green, vermillion accent, polished metal, acrylic cylinders, gear mechanisms, concrete base, wire-reinforced glass, contemporary art, bio-art, systems aesthetics, cybernetic organism, controlled environment, cultivation apparatus, luminous intervention, architectural presence, totemic form, centralized composition, dramatic illumination, laboratory aesthetic, posthuman themes, ecological meditation, precision engineering, experimental installation, immersive environment, contemplative atmosphere, technological sublime

Cryptographic Beings is an art installation that stores digital data in living algae. The work consists of thirty vegetal bits, each one a glass vessel holding filamentous algae. Photosynthesis produces gas vesicles, so the algae float in light and sink in darkness. Each floating or sinking state represents a digital zero or one, and the installation can store a five letter word. Motorized robotic arms control the light reaching every vessel, and a custom colour sensor reads each state. The machine runs autonomously for months during an exhibition.