Biologically Derived Photographs... mold for instance.

holmburgers · Jan 20, 2011

Here's an idea.

Are there any examples of people making photographs out of mold, or other bacteria?

Let me explain...

Imagine a carbon print w/o pigment and w/o alcohol and with the possible addition of a "food source". Printed on a piece of paper and left to sit, would it be possible that mold would form in the image bearing portions?

If one was versed in biology and the science of petri dish type experiments, perhaps a whole host of colors, contrast values, etc., could be obtained. Heck, maybe you could even make tri-color photos with the right combination of micro-organisms.

Something to ponder; any biologist out there with any suggestions?

Mlatterich · Jan 21, 2011

I have done starch prints before. Basically you expose a large, freshly-cut leaf with a contrasty negative overlaid, just like you would do a contact print. You expose for few hours under a strong light source and then throw the leaf into boiling absolute ethanol to fix (don't try this on your stove- fire hazard). You then expose the light yellow leaf to either iodine vapor or an organic solution of iodine. Areas exposed to light will stain purple due to starch accumulation as a result of light exposure.

What you suggest sounds intriguing. It should be possible to select phototactic bugs or algae and then fix them in place.

Akki14 · Jan 21, 2011

Dead Link Removed

"Marta Lwin
'epiSkin', 2006-07
Cultured in a lab, epiSkin is biological jewellery made from epithelia cells, which are cultured to create an artificial skin. The cells are grown into designed forms controlled by the artist. The cells are incubated for a period of time, following which they are stained with a custom dye. The skin is then visibly sealed into a wearable object. The process of creating these pieces includes human tissue culturing as well as a computer-generated form on which the cells are cultured and then transplanted into adaptive jewellery."

Okay not photographs but it is what came to mind when you said biologically derived photographs

holmburgers · Jan 21, 2011

Wow Akki, that is disturbing!

The leaf prints also came to mind. I don't think this specific idea of mine has been put in to practice.. yet. I like the idea of algae too.

I guess the thing to do is make said carbon print, throw in some yeast or something and see what happens. I might email a biologist and see what food sources attract the most "colorful" bacteria.

Photo Engineer · Jan 21, 2011

B&W photos are natural inhibitors due to the silver and hardener present in the coating.

Color photos are much less so and will develop mold and fungus and thus they need a stabilizer to inhibit biological growth.

However, in cases where I have seen growths on photo materials, it has been non-imagewise.

PE

holmburgers · Jan 21, 2011

Can you think of any scheme off the top of your head?

The carbon idea could work, shouldn't it?, seeing as it's just gelatin. You could even imbibe it with some kind of solution afterwards, some nutritional soup for their feeding pleasure, and following imbition properties, the solution would be imbibed relative to the degrees of hardening in the carbon matrix.

Photo Engineer · Jan 21, 2011

Bacteria and mold grow on gelatin and in carbon glop. It smells just "wonderful". I don't eat Jello and have not really eaten any since I joined EK.

PE

holmburgers · Jan 21, 2011

You know.... it does smell wonderful! Hah!

Hexavalent · Jan 21, 2011

One of Peter Gabriel's music videos featured words/images appearing as growing mushrooms. Perhaps not "photographic" but still an ingenious use of "biological imaging".

holmburgers · Jan 21, 2011

I love Sledgehammer!

Hexavalent · Jan 21, 2011

Here's a thought: Chia seeds, the same used on the Chi-pets.. Chiatypes.. you heard it hear first!

holmburgers · Jan 21, 2011

Oh crap... that reminds me...

http://inhabitat.com/grass-art-displays-at-wimbledon/

TheFlyingCamera · Jan 21, 2011

The Chiatype would have to be a contact print, left to "expose" for weeks. And then it would be a three-d rendering of the image- the seeds would sprout and grow tallest/most vibrant where the negative allowed in the most sunlight. Probably work best with a massive halftone matrix.

Hexavalent · Jan 21, 2011

holmburgers said:
Oh crap... that reminds me...

http://inhabitat.com/grass-art-displays-at-wimbledon/

Dang!

Okay then, where's the colour version? Lawnochrome, Turfachrome...

holmburgers · Jan 21, 2011

TheFlyingCamera said:
The Chiatype would have to be a contact print, left to "expose" for weeks. And then it would be a three-d rendering of the image- the seeds would sprout and grow tallest/most vibrant where the negative allowed in the most sunlight. Probably work best with a massive halftone matrix.

Well, not if you sprinkled them over a wet pigmentless carbon print, eh? Though you're right... no continuous tone. And instead of pigment, maybe you'll need some DIRT in there.

TheFlyingCamera · Jan 21, 2011

If you used bluegrass you could get a cyanotype

holmburgers · Jan 21, 2011

We need 3 flowers; one for red, green and blue. Then, we plant them according to the photograph and using additive synthesis we'll get a color photograph the size of a field!

Hmmm... there's got to be a better way.

Vaughn · Jan 21, 2011

I had a batch of pigmented gelatin too long in the fridge for making some carbon tissue -- it was starting to get a little ripe, but I went ahead, poured the tissues and made prints.

I can honestly say the prints stank...

holmburgers · Jan 21, 2011

At least they didn't suck.

(by the way, how long is too long? I've got gel in the box too...)

Vaughn · Jan 21, 2011

Well, the prints stank, but hopefully the images did not suck!

About a week. It will depend on how many mold spores one had floating around (lots here in dampish Humboldt County!!) and how clean one's working area and glassware are.

A bit of Listerine (Thimol) might keep the mold at bay.

Once I pour the tissues, I have to keep a fan on them until the top surface dries enough to fend off mold.

I have been adding about 5 to 10 ml of straight rubbing alcohol to the glop when mixing it (to help reduce air bubbles) -- might be helping a little to fight mold for the 6 to 8 hours I have it standing in a 105F water bath before pouring. I can usually still smell a little of the alcohol when I pour the tissues.

Hexavalent · Jan 21, 2011

TheFlyingCamera said:
The Chiatype would have to be a contact print, left to "expose" for weeks. And then it would be a three-d rendering of the image- the seeds would sprout and grow tallest/most vibrant where the negative allowed in the most sunlight. Probably work best with a massive halftone matrix.

Lawnmower and fertilizer to dodge and burn

holmburgers · Jan 21, 2011

I think we're getting somehwere.....

NOT!

holmburgers · Feb 17, 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masson's_trichrome

Due to different properties in the various types of tissues and what they absorb, a specimen can be soaked in subsequent dye-baths and come out with individual parts dyed different colors.

Histological stains are really the study of what stains what.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gömöri_methenamine_silver_stain

Imagine some scheme where the 3 separations of a color photograph can be combined into a medium, but with each separation composed of a different material. Like, a protein, a fungus and a carbohydrate (for instance... I don't really know what I'm talking about). Soak this in 3 dye-baths and each layer would come out a different color.

Maybe accurate color is a bit too much to ask for, but it's something to think on... if you like thinking about this kind of stuff.

Barry S · Feb 17, 2011

I think a biochemical reaction, as in a leaf print, is a lot easier to pull off than using microorganisms. I'm no longer practicing as a microbiologist, but it seems like it would be tricky to sufficiently control microbial growth to create intermediate tones. It would be a challenge to do a controlled photo-mechanical application of a suitable growth medium/food source to a substrate and culture your bug. There are also some diffusion problems that you'd need to work out because the inevitable spread of the nutrients and the bugs, but everything could probably be worked out. Maybe a first inkjet pass of the nutrient/growth medium and a second pass with the bugs? Could you even squirt the media through an inkjet? Would the bugs survive? Maybe you'd have to coarsely spray them on? Some kind of non-absorbent substrate (polystyrene?). Sounds like a good project for someone with lots of time and money.

holmburgers · Feb 18, 2011

Hi Barry,

To me, the easiest and cheapest way would be to put some kind of nutrient source in gelatin, maybe yeast?, and then make a typical carbon print out of it, sans pigment. That way, if mold or whatever took hold, it would be guaranteed to be confined to the image bearing portions. Whether or not there would be continuous tone is yet to be determined.

In theory, since the gelatin relief would hold nutrients proportional to its thickness, thinner parts would have less growth and hopefully be more transparent than the shadows, which would be nutrient rich.

Any insight on some colorful mold or fungi?

Biologically Derived Photographs... mold for instance.

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Biologically Derived Photographs... mold for instance.

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