MAYA VANDERSCHUIT

micro.glia

2017

digital video projection, 6:51 min loop

*created in collaboration with Dr. Antonio Currais of the Salk Institute.

micro.glia, 2017, is a multi-media installation that explores light as an epistemic thing. I am interested in the dynamic relationship between the scientific apparatus and the camera lens. The experimental process of filming microglia cells involved subtly moving and rotating the camera’s lens near a microscope’s viewfinder, causing vibrantly hued light leaks and flares to appear. This method creates an oscillation between obfuscating and clarifying the digital image; thus, seeking to be mimetic of brain function or dysfunction. A play of optical phenomena, within the creation, editing process, and final form, reflects upon the use of light in the scientific process and upon notions of dissolving, permeable memories.