(di)atomic garden
An artwork by Entangled Others
(Feileacan Kirkbride McCormick & Sofia Crespo)
(di)atomic garden is a real-time, performative system, that explores radioactivity as a force of mutation. Through a virtual simulation of an atomic garden, two distinct image datasets—historical agricultural crops and Antarctic marine plankton—are brought together and transformed. Each specimen planted in this virtual space is a careful translation of images into pseudo-genetic code and algorithmic encapsulation. The planted specimens can be explored through the browser interface, that acts as a safe window into this continuously growing, mutating and decaying virtual garden.
The project draws on the little-known history of atomic gardens – experimental fields developed after the Second World War to research “peaceful” applications of nuclear energy. By exposing crops to radioactive materials, researchers induced mutations that sometimes resulted in higher yields, new colours, or novel forms. Remarkably, some of these varieties still appear in contemporary seed catalogues. At the same time nuclear weapons testing, reactor accidents, and industrial activities introduced radioactive residues into the world’s oceans. As a result, many marine organisms—from plankton to fish—now live with chronic, low-level exposure. While the effects of high radiation doses are well studied, the long-term ecological consequences of low doses remain uncertain, particularly when combined with ocean warming and acidification. These unresolved questions form the conceptual backbone of (di)atomic garden.
The work was commissioned for the fifth instalment of ORBIT_E, the virtual and experimental platform of the MBAL (Musée des Beaux-Arts Le Locle), and is curated by Dr Marlene Wenger, curator at the HEK (Haus der Elektronischen Künste) in Basel.