“IJssel Alga Lab”

The algae growth takes place in a complex pipe system, whose form is based on the shape of a perch, a fish that is common in the IJssel.

Like all plants, algae convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and water into carbohydrates and oxygen through photosynthesis using sunlight. The light is 'captured' with the help of pigments, of which green chlorophyll is the most known. That is why water with a lot of algae turns green. For the process of photosynthesis, the algae need, among other things, carbon dioxide (CO2) and nutrients such as nitrate and phosphate. The installation itself collects CO2 from the air, but as a visitor you can also donate your own CO2 (by inflating a balloon) which is collected in the harvesting cabine.
With this installation I want to make visitors aware of a necessary ecological cycle, in which sunlight and the greenhouse gas CO2 are converted into plant food and oxygen. Although algae technology by itself cannot solve the climate problem, this art project is a “suggestion for a balanced relationship between people and the environment.”