Chimera States: Synchronicity /// Synchronising Fireflies in Thailand and at Art Basel

by Robin Meier Wiratunga, André Gwerder, Guy Amichay
Curated by Anna Wirz-Justice, Marilyne Andersen, Sarah Kenderdine and Giulia Bini
Produced by EPFL Pavilions and Audemars Piguet Art Commission
Editing: Mariko Montpetit. Camera: Nikolai Zheludovich. Sound: Robin Meier Wiratunga
Scientific support: Anchana Thancharoen and Guy Amichay

more info: http://robinmeier.net/?p=24106

Inspired by a scientific experiment, I set out to Thailand in 2015 to observe and interact with synchronising fireflies. This resulted in a film and an exhibition at Art Basel that same year. A team of mathematicians in Chicago got inspired themselves by this science-inspired artwork and eventually invited me to join them on their research trip back to Thailand to revisit the same firefly colonies and study, once again, their mysterious synchronising behaviour.

Interestingly, the mathematical models used so far to model and simulate the fireflies' mesmerising displays didn't quite capture the complexities observed in our footage. So Guy Amichay, Danny Abrams and their collaborators are now trying to capture 3D data of synchronising fireflies to create new models, that fit more closely to the behaviour seen in the field, called chimera states.

New recordings and many discussions about biology, mathematics, art and aesthetics led to a new series of works: photographic prints, a 16mm film, ultrasound audio recordings and this new multichannel video: Chimera States, shown at the EPFL Pavilions in Lausanne, Switzerland during the Lighten Up! Exhibition in 2023.

Deconstructing narratives of control and nature-culture divisions the experiments documented here try to establish a kind of communication. Complex light patterns fire like neurons in a fMRI scan of the forest brain. LEDs, computer models, and wooden scaffolding harmonise with this collective mind in the mangrove interweaving into some new kind of hybrid being.
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In a mangrove forest in Thailand live fireflies (Pteroptyx malaccae) align their synchronous flashes with computer-controlled LEDs. By establishing a light-based form of communication with the insects, the artists influence the rhythmic flashing of large colonies of fireflies. A silent orchestra harmonises without the need for a conductor. With no central control, computers and insects interact in this rhythmic composition of light.

Light is one of the main drivers for circadian rhythms and chronobiology. Nocturnal fireflies use their bioluminescent signal to communicate and create collective displays to attract mates. The underlying mechanisms that give rise to the synchronous patterns found in nature are still largely unknown. Understanding such self-organising processes can be applied to many domains: from cardiac arrhythmia treatment to efficient coordination of computer networks.