Photosynthetic photographs on grass

Artist duo Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey, explored recording images through the production of chlorophyll.

Our inquiry into how to "fix" these transient images has brought us close involvement with genetics through research with scientists at IGER (Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research) in Wales. These scientists have developed a grass that keeps its green color even under stress. In a naturally occurring variant of grass, they identified a gene for an enzyme that degrades the green pigment chlorophyll, and by modulating the expression of this gene, they were able to alter the grassís aging behavior and even stop it altogether. Through a plant breeding program they have introduced this trait, coined a stay-green, into a rye grass. The application of this grass in our work has subsequently led us to grow photographic canvases and then dry them. While the green blades retain their chlorophyll much more effectively than regular grass, the effects of other processes, such as oxidative bleaching, gradually occur and over time contribute to an irreversible loss of image.

Sunbathers, 2000

http://www.viewingspace.com/genetics_culture/pages_genetics_culture/gc_w02/gc_w02_ackroyd_harvey.htm