Roscoff I/O

Roscoffensis I/O is a bio-art installation involving living organisms. The project looks in detail at the complex relationship and symbiosis between plants and animals, focusing in particular on the unique organisms with the Latin name Symsagittifera roscoffensis, which are small green flatworms about 15 millimetres long. They are basically animal organisms (worms), but in their initial developmental stage, they develop a symbiosis with the alga Tetraselmis convolutae, which they assimilate into their epidermis, thus becoming a plant-animal organism. This is a model for understanding the wider biological interactions and delicate balances that exist in nature. A self-sufficient organism can carry out photosynthesis with the algae and thus thrive in a closed biosphere, generating excess oxygen and opening up possibilities for space exploration.