Gabrielle Turbide. Dystrophe

Dystrophe is an art-science installation in which photosynthetic microorganisms and electronic components interact within a constructed salt marsh. Created using chlorophyll printing devices—a photographic process that exploits the green pigment’s sensitivity to ultraviolet light—the work explores the interactions between plants and their environment, as well as the processes of transformation, adaptation, and resilience inherent to living organisms. The project draws inspiration from eutrophication, a process in which aquatic environments become enriched with nutrients, leading to algal blooms. Accelerated by human activities, this phenomenon causes an imbalance: the water becomes oxygen-depleted, biodiversity declines, and the environment suffocates. This degradation, known as dystrophization, marks the transition to other ecological forms where disappearance becomes a condition for renewal. Mirroring these transformations, the prints act as sensitive bioarchives, reacting to their environment. Dystrophe thus portrays a precarious ecosystem in constant transformation, revealing the dynamics of co-evolution between the living and technology.