Michelle Shengyu Li


Selected Works

"god's eye" / "god in a seed" II
(Bacterial Cellulose Anthotype)


Turmeric anthotype on K. hansenii bacterial cellulose, handmade paper, bamboo, wood, rocks

12” x 12” x 1”
2023
Bacterial cellulose anthotype design created by merging and editing DALL· E generated responses to prompts “god’s eye” and “god in a seed.” Exploring parallel fears of AI and omniscient deities through human control or lack thereof with that we do not know and that which seems to know us too well.
Intersecting AI and biofabrication technology with kite-making material and techniques, this version of “god’s eye” / “god in a seed” explores craft in conversation with various tools for control and worship in contemporary culture.

The lab-grown G. hansenii scoby has a beige skin-like buoyancy prior to drying. The photosensitive turmeric chemistry makes it a bright yellow, only to revert to a fleshy pink and beige after the anthotype exposure under UV rays.



Top image: Photographed by Sara Hinterlong. 

DALL·E Generated Responses


1. “god’s eye”



2. “god in a seed”
(five variations iterated from each preceding image, left -> right)



Adobe Photoshop merged and edited images of DALL· E generated responses to prompts “god’s eye” and “god in a seed”