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Microfluid Oracle Chip & Autopoesis Answering Machine (MOC&AAM)


Microfluid Oracle Chip & Autopoesis Answering Machine (MOC&AAM)

a microfluidic machinery and installation by Agnes Meyer-Brandis, 2018-ongoing

The ‘Microfluidic Oracle Chip (MOC) & Autopoesis Answering Machine (AAM)’ is a very small cybernetic agent that can be observed by the audience with the help of a microscope. It is an oracle driven by droplets that run through the handwritten text like blood through a vain or sap through a plant. A machine unveiling a glimpse into a „Universe of Questions“ that surface in front of our microscopes opposing a simple YES or NO.





MOC&AAM is the result of an artistic investigation of processes developed in cooperation with the laboratories for synthetic biology at the Max Planck Institute. The oracle essentially consists of a network of interconnected microfluidic chips. In general, those chips contain tiny sub-millimeter channels allowing liquids and droplets to pass through them.
In this particular case those channels are composed of a multitude of microscopic handwritten questions put down by the artist’s hand. The droplets within the liquids have been specifically fabricated: They are so-called ‘GUV’s, with a polymeric coating, which are used to study the function of biological membranes and to build artificial cells.
In the first realisation most of the questions have been addressed by the participating scientists (Universe of Questions #01). Some aim at solving fundamental scientific riddles (Can we reproduce this?), other simple everyday life problems (Will I finish my job before lunch?). At the end of each question the droplets either turn towards the word YES or NO, and they continue their journey towards the next question.
Version #7 is based on a conversaiton with ChatGTP. I asked what unanswered question it would have if it would have some questions at all. Neverminding the self proclaimed limits of the Chat gtp all these questions (Have you ever experienced a power outage? / Are you currently wearing socks?...) can be answered by the oracle machine. In a seperate conversation they will be given back to the AI.


The exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Bonn was realized with great support of:
Stiftung Kunstfonds
Naresh Yandrapalli and the Tom Robinson Lab at the Max Planck Institute Potsdam
Olympus -Life Science, Microscopy
Beethoven Stiftung Bonn

Many thanks to
(in alphabetical order): Arren Bar-Even, Charles Cotton, Roland Knorr, Tom Robinson, Tina Seemann, Dirk van Swaay, Naresh Yandrapalli and thank you to all researchers unveiling their questions.

Sound: Michael Moser

Credits: "Microfluidic Chip Oracle & Autopoesis Answering Machine (MOC&AAM)" started in the scope of KLAS, Artist in Residence Project at the Max Planck Institute in Postdam Golm 2018.


Microfluidic Oracle Chip, detail © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019

Microfluidic Oracle Chip, detail © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019Microfluidic Oracle Chip, detail © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019

Microfluidic Oracle Chip, exhibition view © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019

Microfluidic Oracle Chip, installation view kunstmuseum Bonn, 2019 (fig. top),
microscope views and chip details with handwritten question channels with a width of 20 µm / micrometres, hole size: 0.89mm (fig. down).
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Microfluidic Oracle Chip, microscope view, detail with one chip © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019Microfluidic Oracle Chip, microscope view, detail with one chip © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019
Microfluidic Oracle Chip, microscope view, detail with one chip © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019Microfluidic Oracle Chip, microscope view, installation details © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019

 

Microfluidic Oracle Chip, microscope view, installation details © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019
Microfluidic Oracle Chip, exhibition view © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019

Microfluidic Oracle Chip, installation view, Kunstmuseum Bonn, 2019
Microfluidic Oracle Chip, microscope view, example question © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019

 

Microfluidic Oracle Chip, exhibition view © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019Microfluidic Oracle Chip, microscope view, installation details © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019

Installation views, Kunstmsueum Bonn, De, 2019

Microfluidic Oracle Chip, microscope view, installation details © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019
"A Universe of Questions", drawning and chip layout

Microfluidic Oracle Chip, exhibition view, Subsurdum Wall © Agnes Meyer-Brandis, VG Bildkunst, 2019
Kunstmuseum Bonn installation view "Subsurdum Wall", wall montage with images, drawings and videos,
column titles: "Universes & Starrs // Minimal Cells // Synthetic Realities // Microfluidics and Machines // Oracles // Bubble Memories

 
Agnes Meyer-Brandis
FFUR || Researchraft - Institute for Art and subjective Science; info@ffur.de
all content © Agnes Meyer-Brandis , VG Bildkunst, 2019