Lab Culture II Exhibition
Bangalore Bio Cluster @ National Centre for Biological Sciences
InSTEM Gallery 01, NCBS, Bengaluru. Sep 2019 - Jan 2020
Artist: Shashank Satish
The National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) offers an inspiring environment for exploring our biological world, both inside and out. Its sophisticated, expansive campus within the Bangalore Bio Cluster provides an ideal space for the convergence of art and science. Invited as the artist for the Lab Culture II exhibition, the challenge was to interpret the serious scientific research conducted within NCBS’s labs. The collaboration with scientists and students provided profound insights into laboratory culture, highlighting unexpected similarities with an artist’s studio—both in pursuit of truth.
To respond to the curatorial theme, the artist focused on the “aestheticization” of scientific processes by drawing from experiments conducted in each lab, transforming these processes into visual installations that captured the essence of each study. Collaboration with scientists, curators, and coders informed the development of these installations, using physical computation and other mediums to convey an aesthetic that reflects the scientific process itself.
Special Thanks to
Curatorial team: Ishita Shah and Netra Ajjampur.
In-Charge, Museum & Field stations facility at NCBS: Dr Vivek Ramachandran.
Scientists and students at the following labs: Dr Ravi Muddashetty’s Lab, Dr Upinder Bhalla’s Lab, and Dr Arjun Guha’s Lab.
Coding and Production: Pratyush Raman and Debanshu Bhaumik.
Impulse, 2019
Medium: Plasma lamps, randomized physical computation.
The neurophysiology of the brain reveals an intricate order within what seems chaotic—a mesmerizing phenomenon among billions of neurons interacting every second. Observing behavioural patterns in neural networks under a microscope unveils an aesthetic in the analysis of neuronal firing, as these neurons transmit electrical impulses across the brain, each activated by stimuli from our environments.
Impulse serves as an aestheticized representation of this process, abstracting electrical impulses or neuronal firing into electric fields triggered by external stimuli. Neurons interact by transmitting information as patterned pathways of electrical signals between cells, allowing scientists to study these patterns to understand how neural networks evolve. Here, plasma lamps visually depict neurons firing as electrical impulses, symbolizing this dynamic process.
Non-spectacle, 2019
Medium: Plasma lamps, programmed physical computation.
Neurons in the brain communicate via synapses—connections that can be either chemical or electrical. These synaptic interactions are crucial for memory formation, shaping cognitive behaviours in daily life. In chemical synapses, electrical impulses travel to nerve endings, undergoing neurotransmission, where they briefly convert to chemical impulses before reverting to electrical signals. While this complex process can't be directly visualized, Non-spectacle offers an artistic representation of neurotransmission, capturing the invisible activity within synaptic gaps. The installation uses plasma lamps and sequenced lights to portray electrical impulses and chemical neurotransmission, symbolizing the formation of memories as impulses traverse the neuronal gaps in the brain.
