I am currently an artist in residence at the CNRS-CBM (Centre Biophysique Moléculaire) and ESAD Orléans (École Supérieure d'Art et de Design), hosted by LE STUDIUM Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies. At CBM, I am collaborating with the 'Exobiology' and 'Synthetic Protein and Bioorthogonal Chemistry' teams on a speculative project.
BioQuantum Record imagines a new edition of the Golden Record, exploring the implications of scientific advancements and contemporary thought in relation to speculative design. The project is based on the premise that microbial collectives are likely the first extraterrestrial life we will encounter, exploring molecular interactions based on the hypothesis of mirror life.
Life on Earth is homochiral—proteins use "left-handed" amino acids, and "right-handed" sugars are metabolised. Though laboratory-engineered mirrored molecules exist, Earth life cannot generally use them. Could extraterrestrial life be a mirrored version of ours, with opposite chirality? This could be key to understanding how an interactive device might communicate with biological signals.
BioQuantum Record is a speculative prototype hosting biochemical materials and "a crew" of prokaryotes, aiming to initiate a chiral handshake between extraterrestrial and terrestrial microorganisms sent into space. The extremophiles chosen are Metallosphaera sedula and Halobacterium salinarum.
M. sedula thrives in hot, acidic, metal-rich environments, and can survive in desiccated states.
H. salinarum has been isolated from ancient salt crystals, demonstrating its ability to endure geological time. It thrives in high-salinity environments, which are common throughout the solar system.
As part of the residency, an experiment will test whether archaeal metabolic pathways can be activated to utilise left-handed sugars. If successful, chirality could enable microbial interaction between terrestrial and extraterrestrial extremophiles.
The artwork will evolve, blending real and speculative concepts, scientific discoveries with poetic storytelling, inviting conversations on planetary protection, the nature of life, and the boundaries between science fiction and scientific reality.
Anna Steward is a transdisciplinary multimedia artist. Her practice combines performance, installation, and scientific collaboration, with a focus on microbiology, neurology, and a growing passion for astrobiology. She trained at Arts Educational Schools London in 2000 and initially worked as an actor before shifting to Live Art in 2007. Anna graduated with honours from the Academy of Fine Arts Nuremberg in 2023, where she now lectures. Supported by a scholarship from the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts, she collaborated with the German Archaea Centre at the University of Regensburg, Germany, where she remains a visiting artist. Her 2024/2025 Arts-Science Residency at CNRS-CBM (Centre Biophysique Moléculaire) and ESAD (École Supérieure d'Art et de Design) in Orléans, France, hosted by LE STUDIUM Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, sparked an ongoing partnership with CBM’s Exobiology and Synthetic Protein and Bioorthogonal Chemistry teams. Together, they explore microbes, meteorites, and molecules.
Sebastian Gfellner is a postgraduate researcher in the Exobiology Group at the Center for Molecular Biophysics, CNRS – Orléans, and the University of Orléans, France. His scientific journey from Earth Sciences to Astrobiology started at the University of Vienna, Austria, and continued at the University of Bremen, Germany, with stops at Harvard University, MA, United States, and the University of Liège, Belgium. Primary research focuses on extremophilic microorganisms, their survivability under extreme conditions, and analysis of their biosignatures. His special interest lies in the detection of traces of microbial life on other planetary bodies, particularly Mars. Through arts-science collaboration, Sebastian found a way to add a transcendental narrative conceptualized by Anna Steward to his research, bridging the two worlds of arts and science.
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