Luisen Zela-Koort
All that came from what was , 2025
Blown glass model
20 x 10 x 4 cm
7 7/8 x 4 x 1 5/8 in.
7 7/8 x 4 x 1 5/8 in.
Edition of 5 plus 1 artist's proof
Courtesy of the artist, Brooke Benington and N.A.S.A.L
Further images
The work replicates in glass, the anatomy of Braarudosphaera bigelowii, algae containing the first nitrogen-fixing organelle, which was discovered in 2024. The discovery is only the fourth known example in...
The work replicates in glass, the anatomy of Braarudosphaera bigelowii, algae containing the first nitrogen-fixing organelle, which was discovered in 2024. The discovery is only the fourth known example in Earth's history of "primary endosymbiosis” a process by which a eukaryotic cell — a cell where DNA is enclosed in a nucleus, as in all animals, plants and fungi — swallows a prokaryotic cell, which lacks a nucleus. In this case, a eukaryotic algal cell swallowed a prokaryotic bacterial cell. The first time we think it happened, it gave rise to all complex life, referring to the evolution of mitochondria, the cells' powerhouses, around 1.5 billion years ago. Working through the ceremonial, scientific, and sensual qualities of glass, the work allows us to engage with the potentiality of all living organisms, the desire of matter to complexify itself, while opening up for the speculation of future possibilities for life on Earth.
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