Biomodd: The integration of art into transdisciplinary research practices

Biomodd is an artistic project with the potential for supporting transdisciplinary practices in blended virtual and in-person environments. After describing the project components, we discuss the collaborative process of idea generation and participant engagement.

GAIA 32/1 (2023): 144 -153 FOCUS: CREATING SPACES AND CULTIVATING MINDSETS FOR TD | RESEARCH > ities, and social sciences with science and technology partners (Vienni-Baptista et al. 2019).A purposeful integration of socially engaged collaborative art practices and arts-based pedagogies into sustainability research creates a prominent space for ideation.Biomodd establishes such a space.
The Biomodd project and Biomodd [BRG 13 ] Biomodd3 is an ongoing series of temporary art installations referencing ecology, progress, consumer culture, and technological waste (box 1).In this paper, we offer a critical reflection of Biomodd as a case example for a long-term TD project situated in the realm of sustainability that produces art (e. g., van Eck and Lamers 2013, Maranan and Vermeulen 2015).Transdisciplinarity can be understood as the system of thought that brings out a more holistic understanding of a complex world, of which one of the imperatives is the "overarching unity of knowledge" (Nicolescu 2010, p. 22), thereby advocating in favor of maintaining diverse views on conceptualizing TD.Biomodd's collaborative re-BOX 1: The Biomodd project Biomodd art installations reimagine the relationship among nature, technology, and people.They are overseen by the open TD collective SEADS (Space Ecologies Art and Design) and are developed together with local communities.Over the past 15 years, 33 independent Biomodd installations have been created worldwide with the help of hundreds of people (figure 1).While no two Biomodd installations are exactly alike, a typical Biomodd installation has novel features such as those listed below: integrating living ecosystems with electronic waste components reassembling functioning computers; computer-generated waste heat repurposed to create microclimates for sustaining organisms such as plants and tropical fish; liquid cooling of computers through living cultures of microalgae;  Krütli et al. 2018) and in a university setting (Thieme and Fry 2023, in this issue), in this paper, we examine Biomodd as a participatory artistic project and generator for ideas.

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search and creation approach follows this logic in the sense that the imperative to solve a predefined problem is not central to its research and co-creation ambition, as is the case for the Mode-2 view (Nowotny et al. 2001).The Biomodd project itself builds the scaffolding that outlines the general context, structure, and main tools; however, participants of each version of the series uniquely define their own rules for interaction, questions, and ideas to pursue by virtue of co-creation.This approach promotes joint problem-framing (Pearce and Ejderyan 2020) and rapid collabor ation and experimentation amongst all stakeholders while critically addressing assumptions regarding interactions among natural, technological, and social systems.
One of the goals of Biomodd is to enable stakeholders envisage a range of alternative futures for the addressed themes and their associated system drivers, including emotions and information that may identify triggers and criteria for possible pathways.Outcomes have included artwork, research papers, integration and exchange of knowledge, and the generation of new ideas, propositions, and procedures.Thus, the Biomodd project has evolved within a wider change in the role of the arts from "a primarily solitary practice involved with its own internal dialogue to one actively seeking a larger discourse" (Gilbert and Cox 2018, p. 4).The project belongs to a vibrant movement of creative practitioners that utilize arts-based research and practice for sustainability (other examples include Macklin and Macklin 2019, Salikhain Kolektib4 , Ethics -Durability -Ecology -Nature [EDEN] 5 ) that support the creation of differentiated bridges between science and practice (Grunwald et al. 2020).
In 2020, we were invited by Musea Brugge in Bruges, BE, to build a new version of Biomodd.For the remainder of this paper, our discussion of Biomodd will focus on this version, which is called Biomodd [BRG 13 ].Borne out of necessity during the COV-ID-19 pandemic, the participatory practice of Biomodd was shifted to a blended process of online (i.e., virtual) and offline (i.e., in-person) aspects of participation, which we refer to as "hybrid" throughout this paper.The recent increase in hybrid collaborations has fundamentally transformed research and resembles today's mode of TD (Schulte-Römer and Giesing forthcoming).However, hybrid work comes with drawbacks and concerns of limiting engagement and creativity (Babapour Chafi et al. 2021).For example, Brucks and Levav (2022) reported experimental evidence that online videoconferencing inhibits the generation of ideas, which they attribute to a narrowing of the cognitive focus (i.e., arising thoughts and associations).Nonetheless, they found that selecting which idea to pursue works well while collaborating virtually.We add to this discourse by investigating how the hybrid art practice of Biomodd [BRG 13 ] reflected on idea generation and participant agency.In doing so, we suggest that the integration of art in TD research and practice could enrich hybrid TD research by providing tools for engagement and ideation.

Understanding where ideas come from
For our analysis, we apply the concept of the "idea journey" given by Perry-Smith and Mannucci (2017Mannucci ( , 2019) ) and Mannucci and Perry-Smith (2022) to Biomodd [BRG 13 ] to examine whether and how Biomodd [BRG 13 ] facilitated participant agency and activated idea generations in its collaborators.Perry-Smith and Mannucci (2017) defined the journey of ideas in four stages from conception to completion: idea generation, elaboration, championing, and implementation.
The first phase of the journey, idea generation, is defined as the process of forming and relating different creative and unpredictable ideas and (self-)selecting the most promising one(s).This could be the core idea for a research paper, a new product, or art piece.Perry-Smith and Mannucci (2017) found experimental evidence that in this phase, activating weak ties in networks -that is, distant people with diverse approaches, opinions, and knowledge leads to exposure of unusually stimulating viewpoints and perspectives, thereby inspiring novel ideas.We argue that this setting resembles the environment of Biomodd [BRG 13 ].In the second phase, idea elaboration, novel ideas are developed through experimentation, prototyping, and discussion, and then internally evaluated with the project's vision in mind.During this phase, creators require emotional support and feedback to reduce uncertainty and to expand ideas.This could be the development of a draft, lab tests, or prototypes to probe the viability and feasibility of the idea.This resembles the core practice of Biomodd [BRG 13 ].In the third phase, idea championing, ideas are promoted so that they may be accepted and implemented.This phase requires social influence and legitimacy.This could be the submission of a paper to a journal or presentation of the elaborated concept or product.The final phase, idea implementation, is determined by production, where ideas are turned into something tangible, like a finished product, artwork, service, or process.In this paper, implementation refers to ideas that became part of Biomodd [BRG 13 ]'s art installation.
A Biomodd installation is an amalgam of ideas generated at different moments in time and implemented at different speeds (figure 2).Therefore, Biomodd creations are characterized by flexible, interconnected, and iterative phases that call into question the linear phases of the "idea journey" concept.Thus, we revisit the concept in order to investigate the ideation process during Biomodd [BRG 13 ].

Data and methods
This article is based on available data6 that was collected as part of an internal evaluation of SEADS collective members on the process during Biomodd.

Online survey of Biomodd participants
We surveyed participants of Biomodd [BRG 13 ] and previous Biomodd versions to gauge past and current Biomodd processes.An email was sent with the online survey information and link on

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April 20, 2021.Follow-up emails were sent after two weeks and again before closing the survey.We received responses from 23 members, yielding a response rate of 16 %.The participant group included, amongst others, academic researchers, art and design practitioners, engineers, and technologists from Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia.The survey consisted of nine openended questions that addressed the following four general areas: capturing past and present contributions of the participant to Biomodd; Biomodd's effect and impact on the participant; process and experience of co-creation, bottom-up design, and shared authorship; Biomodd's impact on participants' inquiries related to sustainability.
Additional data is drawn from diaries, chats, posts, meeting minutes, conversations, and personal reflections and observations of the authors.Participants used online documentation and a dedicated Discord server -an instant messaging and digital distribution platform -to track, communicate, record, and store ideas, sketches, and experimental prototyping.We chose Discord because it allows for a "work-out-loud" approach (Aten et al. 2016) where ideas can grow in parallel through dedicated channels, while offering "virtual visits" to the installation site through its video channel to create a shared sense of presence.Further, to investigate the Biomodd [BRG 13 ] creation process, we used an adapted approach from Gale et al. (2013), which describes the use of the framework method (Ritchie and Lewis 2003) for the analysis of qualitative data.Specifically, we mapped the data from interviews, notes, and observations across the existing framework of the "idea journey" concept given by Perry-Smith and Mannucci (2017, see above).We highlight and explain any findings that diverge from the concept and use quotations from participants to more clearly demonstrate the discussed issues or themes.Finally, we highlight the journey of two specific ideas novel to Biomodd [BRG 13 ]: Winogradsky columns incorporated into a multiplayer game and virtual and augmented reality for hybrid audience participation (box 2).

Creating and facilitating community building, participation, and making during Biomodd [BRG 13 ]
We summarize the setup of Biomodd [BRG 13 ] in figure 2 and describe it in this section.Six months before the exhibition, approximately 50 members of SEADS collective split into five preparation teams that regularly met online.Each team was focused on a different aspect of the project, related to key guiding questions that stem from artistic or conceptual principles of Biomodd: biotechnological integration of microorganisms, a custombuilt interactive multiplayer game, nonconventional interfaces to interact with the virtual world and with living organisms, and engagement of the public.Each online team was led by one or > FIGURE 2: Schematic overview of the components of the Biomodd [BRG 13 ] art installation, folding in the "idea journey" concept from Perry-Smith and Mannucci (2017).Dark green denotes virtual, and light green denotes in-person participation.Five preparation groups of Space Ecologies Art and Design (SEADS) collective members from a variety of disciplines met online for six months to generate, elaborate, and champion ideas that were prototyped in the individuals' environments.Several SEADS members participated in the in-person production phase of the installation.They were joined by approximately 100 members of the public.Finally, the audience experienced and interacted with the installation to generate their own ideas.

BOX 2: Winogradsky columns, virtual and augmented reality
Winogradsky columns are model microbial ecosystems that are set up from pond sediment in a clear cylinder with a carbon source, such as newspaper, and incubated with light.It is a classic experiment to demonstrate the role of microorganisms in environmental processes.
Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated simulation of a threedimensional environment that enables users to interact with it in a seemingly real or physical manner.
Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that overlays computer-generated images onto a user's view of the physical world.This enhances the user's perception of reality and provides an enriched experience.

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two SEADS members.The physical installation of Biomodd [BRG 13 ] was created without a specific a priori design concept (emergence) in the historical site of the Saint John's Hospital in Bruges, Belgium (figure 3).Approximately 100 members of the public joined voluntarily on site for the production phase, which lasted for four weeks.A few participants were actively invited to join based on their skills or knowledge.However, the majority followed a call-out campaign, which led to a diverse group of community representatives with no or partial understanding of Biomodd and its themes.The exhibition was opened to the public from June 26, 2021 to August 29, 2021.
Biomodd's methodology is based on co-creation, emergence, and experimentation.Within the context of Biomodd, co-creation has been defined as "a cross-boundary collaboration where people are invited to transcend their self-defined professional expertise and work on different aspects of the project" (Vermeulen et al. 2018, p. 173).Participatory workshops like the e-waste recycling workshop (figure 4) are central to community-building in Biomodd.Salvaged electronic components were re-assembled into an operational local network connected to the Internet and to a light and sound system.This was used to run a custom-designed multiplayer computer game, which was played by the exhibition audience (figure 5).Gamers (i.e., engaged citizens) virtually influenced the environment of living plants that were part of the art installation.Real-time measurements of changes in the plants were fed back into the game.Biomodd's emphasis on experimentation and emergence invites collaborators to think through art and design, as described in Frayling's (1993) seminal paper Research in Art and Design.This refers to a means of approaching problems that involve the use of creative, artistic, and design principles to come up with new solutions.

Findings and discussion
We summarize our findings regarding participation and the idea journey in figure 6 (p.150), which presents a conceptual framework of practice and ideation during Biomodd [BRG 13 ].

Practice: Participation and engagement during Biomodd [BRG 13 ]
Participants joined the project for a variety of reasons, including curiosity, the promise of exploring questions of the co-existence of nature and technology, the opportunity to craft an inventive vision of the future, personal development and social bonding, or for professional advancement.Varied experiences, new ways of learning, and being part of a diverse community was highlighted by several participants, including those who commented

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in the survey that "the project has infused me with the principle of harmonious and productive coexistence", and that the Biomodd environment "brought me comfort".Other participants were motivated by Biomodd providing "the kind of knowledge that I know I wouldn't get anywhere else" and "to translate climate anxiety into creative output".When asked about their experience of cocreation during Biomodd, participants responded with comments related to social trust and liberation.Biomodd's co-creation approach successfully enabled "often overlooked voices to come to the fore" while improving awareness of the participants' position in the group as well as their perspectives and learned behaviors.Being part of a wide TD collaboration was challenging for a few, particularly when they found themselves distant from their core discipline.However, at the same time, this approach allowed for "eye-opening inputs".For the participants, the outcomes bore "the thumb-mark" of each collaborator, thereby alluding to a cocreation that retains individual characteristics.
Several fundamental characteristics of previous in-persononly Biomodd instances (left-hand side of figure 6) were main-> FIGURE 4: Community members from the city of Bruges, BE, join Biomodd [BRG 13 ] during the in-person building of the installation.This includes workshops in which participants are guided in the repurposing of salvaged electronic components (top, center) and reconstituted computers (bottom).GAIA 32/1 (2023): 144 -153

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tained in a hybrid mode through an index of "work-out-loud" tools, regular meetings, and live feeds.These aspects facilitated the sharing of information and created a level of intimacy.The tools encompassed the narration of the work as it happened (Discord, WhatsApp, and live streams) and also allowed for meeting points of skill circles (Zoom and Jitsi meetings, Google Docs).This supported the building of social, and scientific relationships.The right-hand side of figure 6 compares virtual (dark green) and in-person (light green) interactions, where the volume of the two shapes evolves depending on the intensity of the relevant mode.The virtual preparation phase dominated the type, level, and volume of interaction.It included virtual conceptualizing, in-person individual experimentation, and virtual reporting.This sequence of isolation and diversity is favorable in collaborative networks (Barkoczi and Galesic 2016) and led to a feedback loop of generation and elaboration of ideas.

Ideation: Mapping the idea journey onto Biomodd [BRG 13 ]
Participants explored a range of topics, including waste as circular systems, how waste is situated and repurposed, its relation to production and consumption, and creative future scenarios for waste reduction and repurpose.One online preparation team explored ideas around the use of Winogradsky columns through arts-based research (box 2 and figure 5).The team decided to use the columns as data input for the multiplayer game and generated ideas to amplify the weak signal from the electric current produced by the microorganisms inside the columns.A different online preparation team generated ideas related to digital interactions for audiences.This included the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).The aim was for visitors to experience a mix of virtual and real elements to evaluate their current situation, where lives are lived both online and offline.
During the online idea elaboration phase, experiments were set up in homes, lab spaces, or studios (e. g., figure 7) and instantaneous discussions took place on Discord and during regular online meetings.While the isolated experimentation introduced limitations, the long elaboration phase over six months provided opportunities for individual exploration alongside the growth of the collective understanding.Members of the relevant preparation team that pursued the idea of Winogradsky columns conceived several custom sensors for their measurements (figure 5 top) and elaborated on ideas for further applications of the collected data, including creative visualizations and soundscapes, which led to educational videos, and custom-built plotters from electronic waste.The elaboration of the Winogradsky columns evoked excitement and generated discussion across all preparation groups, which was essential for the network to support the idea.On the other hand, the elaborations around VR and AR were largely shared and discussed within the specific preparation group.The team further devised questions and drafted texts related to whether a digital recreation of "affective fields" during problem solving -emotional experience, moods, and feelings that typically require bodily responses -is possible (Schindler and Bakker 2020).
Perry-Smith and Mannucci (2017) note that championing an idea requires influence to convince the network to protect ideas from criticism, eliminate obstacles, and persuade decision-makers.We found evidence that this influence depends on the type of participation.In-person participation was fundamental for effectively championing and implementing ideas even amongst participants with a similar experience.Most implementations traveled along the entire idea journey during the short in-persononly production phase.In this phase, participants were seen to fall back into patterns that mimic earlier versions of the Biomodd FIGURE 6: Characteristics and engagement during the collaborative process of Biomodd [BRG 13 ], highlighting virtual (dark green) and in-person (light green) aspects of ideation and creation, tools of facilitation, and idea journey phases.

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project, in which ideas were anchored in materiality, feasibility, utility, and impact.Online-created ideas were only implemented if they were accepted by the entire group and fully supported by in-person decision-makers.The utility-driven example related to Winogradsky columns was successfully championed and implemented in the final installation.However, ideas related to AR and VR experiences were not implemented.Their promoters were not physically present, and they were not sufficiently championed to be picked up by in-person members.

Lessons from Biomodd [BRG 13 ] for hybrid sustainability research
Sustainability research heavily relies on ideas created by interdisciplinary and TD collaborations.Therefore, methods for developing and guiding collaboration and co-creation are becoming increasingly relevant (Turvey 2015).Simultaneously, collaborative work today is often performed as a blend of online and offl ine (hybrid) work, which comes with additional challenges related to creative ideation, participation, and engagement.Through our empirical research around Biomodd [BRG 13 ], we reflect on the values of integrating hybrid art practices into collaborative research.
The diverse expertise in the online Biomodd groups was useful for jointly framing a problem, formulating, and defining a model as well as for generating and elaborating on new ideas.However, Biomodd does not focus on solving problems.Biomodd's "disciplinary crowd-sourcing" and collaborative practice supports the understanding of disciplines and professional practices and provides experience in community engagement.Further, it provides a framework for engaging collaborations in "thinking through art and design" along with cultivating a fluid mindset for applications and implementations.We highlight Biomodd's multiplayer gaming platform to be considered as a form of communication, participation, and interaction amongst stakeholders that does not rely on verbal behaviors.Playing the game created an exaggerated non-verbal presence in a social context rather than the more common content-first verbal communication.The gaming context and other audiovisual interaction platforms that were explored during Biomodd [BRG 13 ] invite inquiry and multisensory interaction with complex problems that can be complementary to traditional methods of investigation.
We suggest that a creative process in Biomodd that combines online conversations, individual prototyping, creative workshops, gaming, and collaborative art may be beneficial for supporting the facilitation of TD and trans-sector participation.The Biomodd project creates an open remote-first space that is loosely framed by a set of topics and applications of knowledge work, and creative practice to ascertain what is important, train improvisation, and understand the collective interest and priorities.We have seen that this process works well for joint reflection, training in communication skills, and co-creation of ideas.Therefore, we suggest that the inclusion of the arts and creative practices in hybrid work can benefit TD research teams with a variety of goals.We argue it can support the guidance of members in articulat- ing why they think the problem under investigation exists and development of values, framings, or system models for the idea, problem, or topic under investigation.All these aspects are required to successfully develop and guide TD teams (Bergmann 2012).

FIGURE 3 :
FIGURE 3: Final installation view of Biomodd [BRG 13 ] at the Saint John's Hospital in Bruges, BE.

FIGURE 5 :
FIGURE 5: Detail of the installation displaying the Winogradsky columns (top) with plant sensors collecting data as input (center) for the multi-player game played by visitors of the installation (bottom).

FIGURE 7 :
FIGURE 7: At-home experimental setup for a creative visualization of the voltage output of a Winogradsky column.