Alive?

May 14, 2012 6:22 PM

She connected the discarded organ replacement machines together and had them 'breathe' in closed circuits. The machines of The Immortal keep each other alive through circulation of electrical impulses, oxygen and artificial blood.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (27 comments total)

Thanks, Brandon.
posted by clockzero at 6:34 PM on May 14, 2012

I think that the artist will have no one else to blame when her creation rises up to destroy all she holds dear.
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:38 PM on May 14, 2012 [2 favorites]

Creepy. I wonder if you could hook up one of those organic-matter-digesting power plants, and use the energy to supply power to the machine, maybe get it to operate some equipment, maybe a virtual maze simulator. You could control it using cultured rat brain cells hooked up to the equipment... weirdness.
posted by Scientist at 6:41 PM on May 14, 2012 [7 favorites]

You could control it using cultured rat brain cells hooked up to the equipment... weirdness.
posted by Scientist

....
posted by The Whelk at 6:44 PM on May 14, 2012 [10 favorites]

Yes, please.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:44 PM on May 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

That was incredibly eerie. Really great execution, too; the tubes lying everywhere like intestines. Loved this.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:45 PM on May 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

I have no desire to click on that link.
That was incredibly eerie... the tubes lying everywhere like intestines.
No way in hell am I clicking on that link!
posted by Neekee at 6:46 PM on May 14, 2012

They're closer to arteries and veins in function, if it makes you feel any better.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:53 PM on May 14, 2012

She didn't give it a pooper. It's the perfect pet.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:56 PM on May 14, 2012 [16 favorites]

That's just great.
posted by merocet at 6:59 PM on May 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

cjorgensen: "She didn't give it a pooper. It's the perfect pet."

Well, maybe it's compatible with Cloaca installations.
posted by mkb at 7:03 PM on May 14, 2012 [4 favorites]

I don't WANT to be exposed to anus installed with cloaca.
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:17 PM on May 14, 2012

Whoa. A visceral response, but yeah, why is it so creepy to me (us)? It's just machines. I'mma have to think about this for a bit.
posted by gaspode at 7:18 PM on May 14, 2012

For me this was cooler/more compelling to read about than to look at. I think perhaps because it was so spread out that the machines were very visible as being, well, machines. Also it didn't pulsate or squirm at all. That said, I agree that it's a really fascinating, compelling piece, even if only on the conceptual level for me.

Although, hm, now that I say it like that: I don't think I've ever before encountered conceptual art that actually grabbed ahold of me at all, so this is a first.
posted by kavasa at 7:27 PM on May 14, 2012

A visceral response

I see what you did there.
posted by gingerest at 7:33 PM on May 14, 2012 [4 favorites]

Brilliant. Thanks for posting.
posted by en forme de poire at 7:41 PM on May 14, 2012

Watch out for Russian ships. Just saying.
posted by Splunge at 8:11 PM on May 14, 2012

We are more than the collection of our parts.
posted by postel's law at 8:13 PM on May 14, 2012

There are amazingly weird other links on that site.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 9:02 PM on May 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

Indeed, I just really enjoyed reading the article Puddle Drive-Through Simulation on that site. I had no idea there were fish that lived in transient puddles in the middle of roads!
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 12:45 AM on May 15, 2012

I love science!

Now to make it small, portable, and mine...
posted by Samizdata at 1:24 AM on May 15, 2012

Samizdata: "I love science!

Now to make it small, portable, and mine..."

Strange way to announce your desire to have a kid.
posted by mkb at 4:35 AM on May 15, 2012

Trying to figure out where to plug in my brain in a jar.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:41 AM on May 15, 2012

why is it so creepy to me (us)?

For me, it's the fact that I k now this collection of machines isn't alive or at least a part of my brain my does. The other part feels as though there's something there, some mimicry (or mockery?) of life. These machines are doing a very simple simulation of life, but the sound, motions and appearance are messing with some part of my brain to make me think it's alive, even when I know it isn't. It's an optical and mental and emotional illusion.

So who's the machine here, me or the devices? Because I can feel some of my buttons are being pushed.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:23 AM on May 15, 2012

I'm feeling slightly used.
posted by de at 7:27 AM on May 15, 2012

You could control it using cultured rat brain cells hooked up to the equipment... weirdness.
posted by Scientist

....
posted by The Whelk at 6:44 PM on May 14 [9 favorites +] [!]

I think he's referring to this project from about a decade back, in which a petri dish full of rat neurons were used to control a robotic arm which drew pictures on paper. The drawings appeared to be less chaotic and more organized as time went on. I have no idea what the shelf life of petri-dish rat neurons are but I'm assuming that that specific project's over now. I hope.
posted by nerdinexile at 9:51 AM on May 15, 2012

Petri dishes full of rat neurons have also been used to navigate virtual mazes and fly virtual flight simulators. And disembodied lamprey brains have been used to control light-seeking autonomous robots and things of that nature. I don't know much about this stuff, though it's super weird and creepy.
posted by Scientist at 12:01 PM on May 15, 2012