As if observed from outer space, the whirling climate of a hypothetical planet is punctiliously traced by a population of luminescent proto-plankton. Luminiferous Drift creates prebiotic cellular conditions characterized byan enzyme-activated metabolism that releases energy in the form of light. The cells are generated by a pneumatic macro-chip in which several aqueous solutions are mixed and injected into an oily membrane. These double-emulsion protocells are then released into a rotating bath of water, the dynamics of which correspond to the prebiotic climate of present-day Saturn: a polygonal jet stream is imbued with biosynthesized light.
Encompassing such areas of research as synthetic biology, fluid dynamics and climatology, Luminiferous Drift is the result of the authors’ collaborative engagement with the Hui Lab (UCI), the Hydrodynamics Lab of Ecole Polytechnique (LadHyX) and the Huck Group (Radboud University).Â