Prima Materia
An ArtScience Collaboration by the Montana State University Living Materials Alliance
2.10.26 - 3.21.26
Dr. Ben Fuhrman, MSU Assistant Professor, Music Technology
Dr. Robin Gerlach, MSU Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering
Dr. Kristen Intemann, MSU Professor in History & Philosophy and Director for the Center for Science, Technology, Ethics & Society
Sara Mast, MSU Professor Emerita of Art, School of Art
Brandon Scott, MSU Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
Kevin Tracy, MSU MFA Graduate, School of Art
Students and researchers in the Center for Biofilm Engineering
This ArtScience collaboration began with a research collaboration grant from MSU to understand the social and ethical challenges related to emerging biotechnologies. Students and researchers from bioengineering, microbiology, art, psychology and philosophy are developing approaches to understand and better communicate the opportunities and limitations of using living materials in our daily lives.
The large-scale cotton muslin work was dyed with dried spirulina and soy milk. Other materials used were beeswax, rock salt and snow. Spirulina is a type of blue-green alga, scientifically classified as a cyanobacterium. It is a nutrient-dense microalga known for its high protein content and is also a source of pigments like phycocyanin and beta-carotene, which contribute antioxidant and potentially anti-inflammatory properties. Historically, it has been consumed for centuries by the Aztecs and other Mesoamerican cultures, who harvested it from alkaline lakes such as Lake Texcoco in Mexico.
An ecosystem is a tapestry of species and relationships. Chop away a section, isolate that section, and there arises the problem of unraveling.
DAVID QUAMMEN
The ceramic wall installation references stromatolites (or microbial mats), which are layered, rock-like structures built by biofilms and found in various places around the world, including Shark Bay (Australia), the Caribbean, and Yellowstone National Park. The materials used were locally sourced clays and plasma enhanced melter (PEM) glass, generated from waste through plasma gasification technology. Stromatolites consist of photoautotrophic organisms, such as algae and cyanobacteria (aka blue-green algae) and other organisms. Through diel (light-dark) cycling the organisms grow, trap and bind particles (sediment), and change the chemistry in their surroundings enough to promote precipitation of minerals such as calcium carbonate (~limestone) and silicates (~sand or rock). As a result, they can form dome- or mound-like structures, especially in shallow water. Some stromatolites are considered Earth's oldest fossils, documenting the earliest microscopic life, providing evidence of early photosynthesis, and the oxygenation of the atmosphere more than three billion years ago … ultimately allowing more complex life to establish.
The Living Materials Alliance sources most of its algae and cyanobacteria from Soap Lake, WA, a mineral-rich soda lake historically touted for its medicinal properties and from Yellowstone National Park, which contains the world’s greatest concentration of thermal features with a wide range of pH values and geochemistries. Researchers at the Center for Biofilm Engineering are exploring cyanobacteria such as spirulina and other algal species as powerful remediators of water as well as producers of fuelsand high value materials such as chemical raw materials, bioplastics, fertilizer, feed, food and pharmaceuticals.
Prima Materia will be exhibited from February 10 - March 21, 2026 with a reception on Friday, February 13th from 5-8pm. The gallery will hold both visual pieces as well as the video and music components.
ArtScience Cafés, where members of the Living Materials Alliance will discuss the exhibition and their creative research, will be held at Echo Arts from 12 to 1 p.m. on Feb. 23, March 2 and March 16. These cafés are open and free to the public!
Audio + Video
Ben Fuhrman (MSU Music Technology) worked alongside members of the MSU Living Materials Alliance to compose a binaural auditory element to accompany a video piece.
Prima Materia
Soy Milk, Spirulina Powder, Snow, Rock Salt, Beeswax, Muslin, Canvas Strips
15.5 ft x 8.25 ft.
Stromatolite Studies
Mixed Local Wild Clays, Ash, Basalt, Sand
Dimensions Varied
