Ivan Henriques


Test_Lab: Action Plant, Ivan Henriques

Uploaded on Sep 8, 2010

https://v2.nl/lab/projects/action-plant (project)

A 2010 Summer Sessions project by Ivan Henriques and V2_Lab. Action Plant explores a speculative proposal to empower threatened species of plants with the ability to flee from their aggressors.

Plants are moving creatures. Their movement however generally remains invisible to us, because their muscle and nerve-like systems operate at a very slow timescale and their rooting in soil confines their motion to the movement of branches and leaves. These restrictions give plants an enormous disadvantage compared to their main aggressors: animals and humans, in many instances resulting in a loss of biodiversity and even extinction.

The Action Plant project explores a speculative proposal to empower threatened species of plants with the ability to flee from their aggressors. During his Summer Session residency at V2_, Brazilian artist Ivan Henriques will collaborate with biologist Bert van Duijn from Leiden University and the developers of the V2_Lab to build a first Action Plant prototype. This prototype will interface a plant with an off-the-shelf motor system, and will use the action potential of the plant to sense when it is being touched. By doing so, the plant will be able to speedily drive away in response to human touch.
 

Symbiotic Machine
March 11, 2014

In collaboration with scientists from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Ivan Henriques developed a prototype for an autonomous photosynthetic bio-machine which harvests energy from photosynthetic organisms, applying this energy to movement to be able to collect photosynthetic organisms again. This bio-solar machine will create a symbiotic system with the environment where it is located, which detects, collects, carries and processes these organisms autonomously, amplifying the energy obtained from them using a floating mobile robotic structure. These micro organisms can be found in ponds, canals, rivers and the sea, which are a potential source to feed the Symbiotic Machine. The environment where it is located can be cleaned as in the case when harmful algae blooms. During two months the Symbiotic Machine lives in an aquarium in the Glass House, where it feeds itself algae. In the back space research materials, objects, texts and drawings will be shown while hands on workshops for adults and kids will also be offered there. Symbiotic Machine is developed in collaboration with Raoul Frese and Vincent Friebe, scientists of VU Amsterdam Laser Lab, physicist Michiel van Overbeek and engineer Leydervan Xavier from Cefet/RJ (Technological School from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and invited by Zone2Source. This project was only possible with support from Stichting DOEN.
 

Symbiotic Machine 2014, exhibition at the Glazen Hius, Amsterdam
March 27, 2014

In collaboration with scientists from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Ivan Henriques developed a prototype for an autonomous photosynthetic bio-machine which harvests energy from photosynthetic organisms, applying this energy to movement to be able to collect photosynthetic organisms again. This bio-solar machine will create a symbiotic system with the environment where it is located, which detects, collects, carries and processes these organisms autonomously, amplifying the energy obtained from them using a floating mobile robotic structure. These micro organisms can be found in ponds, canals, rivers and the sea, which are a potential source to feed the Symbiotic Machine. The environment where it is located can be cleaned as in the case when harmful algae blooms. During two months the Symbiotic Machine lives in an aquarium in the Glass House, where it feeds itself algae. In the back space research materials, objects, texts and drawings will be shown while hands on workshops for adults and kids will also be offered there. Symbiotic Machine is developed in collaboration with Raoul Frese and Vincent Friebe, scientists of VU Amsterdam Laser Lab, physicist Michiel van Overbeek and engineer Leydervan Xavier from Cefet/RJ (Technological School from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and invited by Zone2Source.

This project was only possible with support from Stichting DOEN.
 
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