Bioartists turn marine viruses and food waste into art

Last year, Sally Kong went into the Bush Terminal tidal lagoon and collected water samples with the team at the Billion Oyster Project. When she came back to the biomaterial lab at Genspace in Sunset Park, she extracted viruses from the sample and opened up a database to identify her findings.

“I tried to match them against existing viruses in the database. I got nothing,” Kong said. “I thought that's really fascinating.”

Kong is one of the artists in the Genspace Biomaterials Studio BioArtist Incubator, a six-month program that provides lab access and mentorship to artists to further their research into biological and regenerative materials. From Sept. 18 to 20, 14 artists from the cohort will present their works at the bioart exhibition “Source Material” at Flux IV in Long Island City, featuring works made of mycelium, bio-cement, food waste and more.

For this year’s exhibition, Kong decided to look into the genes of these marine viruses and built family trees, or phylogenetic trees in biology parlance, of the viruses she discovered. To visualize the virus family trees, Kong applied skills from her day job as a software engineer to create three-dimensional models for each virus.

“Because I've worked with 3D software, I am familiar with creating 3D models. I created a workflow for myself to have a 3D visualization, and then from there, I use that as a reference for actually building the phylogeny,” Kong explained.

Using the viruses’ models, she aligned different genomes based on different proteins and built trees based on protein sequence alignment.

Based on that modeling, she then crocheted wire sculptures and mineralized them into coral-like forms.

“I was inspired by some coral restoration research that I learned about a couple of years ago. What they do is they use electromineralization to restore coral reefs,” Kong said.

To create the texture of coral reefs, Kong submerged her sculpture in a calcium solution, connected the piece to a power supply and ran a light electric current through it to help with calcium carbonate precipitation on the wire.

Kong also experimented with different materials, such as stainless steel and aluminum. Through her work, she hopes visitors will learn more about the importance of marine viruses.

“Marine viruses are the most abundant things in the water. A lot of them are not actually harmful to us. They're mostly phages that affect marine bacteria. They are helpful for regulating biogeochemical cycling because they regulate the microbial community in the waters,” Kong said.

Brian Houstle, lead for the incubator, said the program encourages participants to explore the relationship between biomaterials and art.

“My favorite part about GBS is that everyone's working on different things, and in the space together, they're constantly being exposed to new ideas, and it becomes a really collaborative space,” Houstle said.

Kaitlyn Gillums’ work is as collaborative as it gets. She collected and used food waste from other cohort members.

After collection, she chopped, blended, dehydrated and finally ground the waste into a fine powder. Afterward, she mixed the food waste powder with flour and glycerin to create a clay-like dough from which she made dinnerware.

“Once I sculpt it or put it in a mold, that's when I'll dehydrate it again,” Gillums said.

She quickly discovered the many variables organic matter brings to artistic creation.

“I've had a lot of failed experiments where things have molded. If you leave it in certain temperatures and flies get to it, it will mold,” Gillums recalled.

Drawing on her experience in the fashion industry, Gillums seeks a connection between herself and her work, and between production and community culture.

“A lot of times, I don’t feel connected with what I produce. In fast fashion, it was remaking other people's ideas,” Gillums explained.

Her work also explores the cycle of creation. “I think it's cool that we can create things that you can put on the ground and they will go back into our environment safely,” Gillums said.

“Source Material” opens with a reception on Sept. 18 from 5 to 10 p.m. at Flux IV, 56-21 2nd Street, Long Island City. Register for the opening reception or view the full exhibit schedule.