Project Firefly (part2)

Project: Firefly
2008
Bioluminescent (“Living Light”) Installation
Community collaboration & partnership with The Foundry Art Centre, The Butterfly House, A Division of the Missouri Botanical Gardens, Ameren, and Artlink

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Project: Firefly is an innovative community arts collaboration that worked together under specific guidelines to construct an aesthetic experience and promote creative social interaction within the St. Louis Metropolitan community.

On the summer evening of Wednesday, July 9, 2008 a team of community individuals came together at the Foundry Art Centre. The plan of action was presented and questions concerning the project were answered. Afterward, the group embarked on a journey together along the Missouri riverbank in Frontier Park in search of fireflies. Armed with insect nets and clear plastic jars, volunteers captured as many insects as they could in hopes of filling each jar provided for them. The jars were then placed in a couple carrying bags for the volunteers to haul back to the Foundry once all the jars had been filled. Once inside the Foundry the installation of the project began by the volunteers placing each jar with a magnetic top onto a large 7′ x 8′ metal wall in a grid format. Upon completion of this process videographers and photographers captured the final documentation footage of the complete bioluminescent installation. Milk & cookies was served to volunteers and participants of the project after the final installation process. Participants were then motivated to discuss the significance and purpose of their interaction with the project while enjoying the sensuous experience of the installation. The project stems from youthful summertime practices while also informing us about the processes of community collaboration with a creative goal. The fireflies act as symbols of natural light and mankind’s attempt to control and manipulate it in a systematic fashion for aesthetic and functional purposes.

The final action in the project was to gather all of the jars back into the bags and walk outside to release the fireflies back into nature. This performative action signified the cycle of the project. The order of capturing, using, and releasing back to the earth or atmosphere has long been a tradition in spiritual and religious practices. The act of freeing a living illuminating creature back into the environment is just if not more gratifying than capturing it.

Professional photographers and videographers documented the entire project. Video copies along with photos were available for purchase afterward at a cost.

This project was completed in collaboration with the Foundry Art Centre, Ameren, and the Butterfly House (a division of the Missouri Botanical Gardens). Entomologists, insect experts, and volunteers from the educational outreach programs from the Butterfly House set up stations within the Foundry. Participants were encouraged to engage in the interactive activities, experiments, and discussions provided at each station. All of the activities were in relation to fireflies and ranged from topics in bioluminescent experimentation to insect study.

Ameren distributed electroluminescent night-lights that emitted a soft greenish glow that resembled that of a firefly and also possessed similar energy efficient characteristics. The light never burns out and never requires a replacement bulb/light. The light costs pennies a year to operate in a regular home because it only uses 1 watt of electricity. This characteristic relates to energy production in fireflies. 90% of the energy a firefly uses to create light is actually converted into light. By comparison, an incandescent electric bulb can convert only 10% of total energy used into light, and the remainder is emitted as heat. Thus, Ameren provided and distributed a direct example of how nature influences mankind’s technology for the better.

Other issues examined and discussed included: biomedical research and development using luciferin from fireflies to test for cancer in tumor growths. i.e. The luciferin is injected into the tumor growth and if it glows, the tumor is cancerous. Luciferin also possesses agricultural applications as well. i.e. Luciferin is planted and used in crop production as a way of communicating to the farmer which crops are ready for harvest. Airports have begun to experiment with the bioluminescent technology by integrating it into the aircraft runways. Just as the fireflies use the light patterns to communicate with their correct mate, air traffic controllers and pilots will also strive to be a perfect match. Thus providing safety for the passengers by avoiding close call accidents and also creating energy efficient and business efficient environments.

Duration : 0:8:15

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