Aguaviva

Aguaviva juxtaposes the spontaneous nature of biology with the predictable properties of digital technology.

A solitary moon jellyfish swims around in a saltwater dome. A small camera tracks its movement and turns it into xy values, expressed on a collar of digital numbers. The shifting position of the jellyfish is mapped to the corresponding digits below, resulting in an ever-changing string of random numbers.

Arbitrary values generated by computers are considered too predictable for high-end encryption schemes, such as secure Internet traffic and online banking. Hence, more unconventional sources are often used, even paid for. True randomness, for this purpose, is a commodity.

As part of the artwork, the numerical string created by the jellyfish is offered up in real-time to encryption companies to use at their discretion.

The apparatus is designed to extract randomness from this simple yet ancient life form---unaware of the fact that in the arena of random sequencing, its cellular contractions can outperform even the most powerful supercomputer.