Once visiting the AI exhibition at the World Museum, I received a response from the ethics committee regarding some minor changes of my questionnaire based on my virtual exhibition.
Some of these changes involved adding an introduction to the questionnaire with instructions on how to complete the survey. They also advised me to add some useful signposting links, so visitors could seek advice and more information.
Some other points, was to include some boxes that would allow participants to have implied consent, along with a recruitment email to send out to possible participants.
After making these changes, and submitting the application again, I went to purchase some gelatine art tools, in order to make my brain mould. I then went and ordered some 3D PLA filament in order to 3D print my brain also. As it may take a while for the material to come, time management became crucial, in order to create my vessel in time, and learn how to visualise it virtually.
In a recent guest lecture, we had artist Mellissa Fisher, who presented her work and practice of BioArt, through the use of slime moulds.
I found her research to be particularly insightful with combining plants within her experiments, such as cress.
Fisher, M. (2018) Cress Experiments [nutrient agar and cress]
In this artwork, she experimented with using nutrient Agar to encourage the growth of cress. I found this to be quite interesting, as I considered experimenting with gelatine.
This made me question how I could use nutrient agar with my Bacopa Monnieri plant. Could I grow a Bacopa Monnieri brain?
After considering this experiment, I began to conduct some primary research and approach a member of the World Museum who knew about the botanical collection, in order to find any historical documents or imagery on the Bacopa Monnieri plant. I found a contact for Wendy Atkinson, and sent an email to her.
I then received my ethical approval for my questionnaire. I was really pleased to get it back early, as it meant that I could have more time collating results from participants. I added the survey to my virtual exhibition on the art steps website and emailed my tutor mark to send out the recruitment email.
Once receiving the ethical approval, I began to continue experimenting and make my gelatine brain.