THE CONCEPT - ORIGINS OF THE BIOART BAYOU-TORIUM
The initial concept and proposal for the BioArt Bayou-torium, a social engaged science lab and art studio situated on the banks of Buffalo Bayou in Houston, found support through a grant from the Idea Fund (Andy Warhol Foundation), it administrators (Project Row Houses, Aurora Picture Show, DiverseWorks), the Buffalo Bayou Partnership and all the people who have supported and assisted me on this project. ---
The BioArt Bayou-torium is meant to be situated in the Second Ward and across from the 5th ward. It will be in a shipping container, with tools of science – microscopes (compound and dissecting, clip on microscopes), imaging equipment, printers and art supplies. It is a place to make art, use photography, make video along with watercolor and drawings. With the support of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership the Bayou-torium will have pontoon boat tours led by docents conducted in Spanish and English to discuss the wildlife and history of this part of the Bayou. It is a project that asks attendees to seek a greater inter-connection with the nature that is sometimes difficult to access in this part of Houston. It is free and open to the public. It will operate on the last 3 weekend of April.
The Bayoutorium based on several models: Model 1 – the Education Shed, established by NCA and the North Brooklyn Boat Club. Also in a shipment container, it works with school age children and the local population to educate and explore the fauna, wildlife, water and soil quality of Newtown Creek, which acts as the norther border between Brooklyn and Queens. Newtown Creek is a Superfund site and one of the most polluted waterways on the east coast. The Ed Shed is available to the public to have a greater understanding of the complexity of Brooklyn’s and NYC watershed.
The Ed Shed has influenced my work on, Model 2, my Brooklyn based project called the English Kills Project. I also used microscopes to examine the aquatic, avian and microscopic life of Newtown Creek.
Model 3 is the Bio Lab at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. It was founded by the chair of the BFA department, Suzanne Anker. It’s the first level 1 biolab established in the country at an art school. I taught, worked at the BFA department and the BioLab. It was here that I learned from this lab to work on my own projects.
Model 4 is a Botanicals watercolor class I taught at the Art League of Houston in 2017. I asked students to collect a tiny sample of floral life from the neighborhood, use a magnifying glass to closely examine and make large biological posters. The works produced in this course showed nature a multiplied by thousands in scale than the actual specimen.
Model 5 is the methods that can be taught at the Bayou-torium on how to extract pigments from the actual plant life of Buffalo Bayou. Here are examples from the artist Ellie Irons. In addition to using traditional pigments we will encourage participants of the Bayou-torium to use the bi-material to make art as well.
The cross discipline of art and science is nothing new in Western art and science. Here are some examples of the artist-as-scientist and the scientist-as-artist.
Finally above are some examples of magnifications from the nature along Buffalo Bayou. Images can be easily captured by the cell phone microscope clips, as well as from the image capturing microscopes provided by the Bayou-torium. Seen area magnifications of nature multiplied by tens and hundreds of times of the actual size.