Prototyping digital art software in Galicia

In July/August 2024, artist David Glowacki invited researcher Maoya Bassiouni to Santiago de Compostella, Spain to kick off their collaboration and visit the Intangible Realities Laboratory (IRL) at CiTIUS, David’s research group that explores the immersive frontiers of science, technology, aesthetics, and contemplative practice .

During this visit, the fluxArt team prototyped the digital art software Dyantra and explored data vizualizations of thousands of FLUXNET site-years, all while soaking in Galicia’s coastal magic. They drew inspiration from the metaphore of the biosphere’s breath and diety meditation from Vajrayana buddhism and brainstormed how to merge flux science and immersive art to create embodied contemplative experiences that can dissolve climate anxiety into awareness, insight, interconnectedness, and peace. Later in Auguast, David showed the Dyantra protoype at the MO:DEM festival in Croatia.

David and Maoya initiating their fluxArt collaboration in Galicia, Spain

In September, David traveled to California and continued discussions with a range of flux researchers at UC Berkeley. He also visited the Dutch Slough Marsh Gilbert Tract flux tower, a site maintained by the Baldocchi Biometeorology lab.

David visiting Dutch Slough Marsh Gilbert Tract flux tower, CA