Soil Nutritional Analysis

Taking a clue from the tests field technicians perform on soil samples, “Soiled” applies color as a metric for nutritional analysis. Such sampling assesses the concentration and presence of chemicals vital to optimal growth. In contrast to most of the toxic reagents used in the industry standard, we propose the construction of a device that will utilize biological means to detect nutrient value.

What harmful reagents cannot be substituted will be minimized within a microfluidic chip housed in a mobile device with a compatible app, limiting exposure and increasing the accuracy of the results. The physical manifestation of our project will take the form of a Bio Art Installation, utilizing data taken from NYC backyards. Various graphic charts and laboratory consumables, light sources and color-aid papers will be employed to form a cohesive aesthetic experience, in keeping with the parameters of New Media art, reflecting recent trends in urban gardening.

Project Description

Soiled i​s the project name for the School of Visual Arts’ participation in the Art and Design track of the 2015 iGEM competition. The project consists of a speculative mobile device and a multimedia installation denoting the respective results of soil samples collected throughout the New York metropolitan area.

The installation functions as both a data representation of our sampling sites and additionally relies on aesthetic principles of investigation. Composed of computer generated cut¬outs in the shapes of the five boroughs of New York City, the works are fabricated from compressed board, lucite sheets and LED lights. As a visual representation, the installation is consistent with the scientific processes of creating chemical color reactions. Color, which crosses the boundaries between art and science as a perceptual marker, is of extreme importance in both practices, pointing at once to the ways knowledge is produced.

In February 2016 a formal art exhibition will be held at the School of Visual Arts Gallery in Chelsea (NYC) to highlight the aesthetic and conceptual aspects of the work as a whole. Various parts of the jamboree installation along with reagents, consumables, prototypes, and graphics will be displayed with descriptions about the piece and statements from the student artists who took part in the competition.

Winner: Best Art & Design Project

Our project, Soiled, won a gold medal for the Best Art & Design Project during the iGEM 2015 Giant Jamboree.

Our project was also nominated for:

• Best Integrated Human Practices

• Best Education and Public Engagement

• Best Presentation
  

300 iGEM teams competed for these honorable mentions.

http://2015.igem.org/Team:SVA-NYC