The Birch Aquarium at Scripps has opened the Infinity Cube, an exhibit that combines glowing organisms, technology, and sound. Artist Iyvone Khoo and Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientist Michael Latz collaborated for three months to learn more about bioluminescent organisms, which emit their own light. This included more than six hours of footage of single-celled organisms reacting to a variety of stimulants. The Infinity Cube, generously funded by Rick and Patty Elkus, takes that footage enlarges it, and projects it around the interior of the eight-foot cube with musical accompaniment. Additional support was provided by the National Science Foundation. Visitors have the opportunity to learn about bioluminescence and how marine life uses it for camouflage, protection, and communication. “Through this project, I hope to raise public awareness of how we as a species relate and communicate with our natural world,” said Khoo. “There are energy, vibration, and songs in everything, one just has to find them, even at a microscopic level.”
“I am pleased that my successful collaboration with artist Ivonne Khoo has led to this art installation, using art to communicate my science in an aesthetically pleasing way without the jargon and technical details,” said Latz. The Infinity Cube is a temporary exhibit included in Birch Aquarium admission, which is $18.50 for adults and $14 for children ages three to 17. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit aquarium.ucsd.edu. Proceeds support exhibits and educational programming at Birch Aquarium at Scripps.