Transformation Timer

motorized wind chime sound sculpture with laboratory animal fiber and orphaned keys
Artwork

Transformation Timer

2019
motor, microcontroller, hand-spun laboratory llama wool, orphaned keys, acrylic
dimensions variable

Transformation Timer reimagines a time keeping device for a routine biotech laboratory technique. In biology, bacterial transformation is a process of introducing foreign DNA into bacteria. This motorized sculpture intermittently rotates to agitate a cascading arrangement of colliding keys. The motor is timed to rotate every 90 seconds, the time it takes in some lab protocols for an E. coli cell to take up a DNA plasmid during bacterial transformation. The chiming keys reference the "lock and key" metaphor used to explain cellular biology and the function of antibodies.

Transformation Timer reimagines a time keeping device for a routine biotech laboratory technique. In biology, bacterial transformation is a process of introducing foreign DNA into bacteria. This motorized sculpture intermittently rotates to agitate a cascading arrangement of colliding keys. The motor is timed to rotate every 90 seconds, the time it takes in some lab protocols for an E. coli cell to take up a DNA plasmid during bacterial transformation. The chiming keys reference the "lock and key" metaphor used to explain cellular biology and the function of antibodies.

Science Center's Flying Slippers

...Through a diverse range of media and techniques, Laura Splan weaves a multifarious narrative of science. At times, Splan’s work brings to mind the Brothers Grimm, the miller’s daughter spinning straw into gold, a transmutation of material through manual labor and a bit of magic, unlocking secrets through a process of attribution...

Broad Street Review

...Splan portrays the scientific process in all of its slowness and setbacks. The sounds and tactile experiences evoke a sanctity of space, creating an ambiance that’s almost reverent in its effect...

uCity Science Center
Esther Klein Gallery
Integral Molecular
Knight Foundation

Project Support provided by The Science Center Bioart Residency, Integral Molecular, Esther Klein Gallery, The Knight Foundation

Exhibitions include Esther Klein Gallery

Orphaned and off-cut keys donated by Billy’s Locksmith, WR Hardware, Four Seasons Hardware