Tag Archives: clownfish

Final Project, Process, Research

Progress and Prototypes on our installation! (Amelia, Yit Ling and Natasya)

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So here is the breakdown on some of the progress we made with regards to our installation on the sense of our starfish-nemo-anemone!

SCENT

For the scent portion of our installation, we decided that we would be hanging a contraption that once pulled it would release a powdered scent. We initially wanted to be more like a trip-over-a-string thingy and suddenly poof the scent comes out but we figured it that method could only be done once. Instead this way, it would allow to be done repeatedly.

As you can see here, it is basically a slightly cut balloon taped to an open end of a cup. Inside the cup for this case was baby powder that was sweet smelling. Tugging and releasing the end of the balloon slightly would release the powder in mid air and allow the scent to be released!

SIGHT

The sight portion of the installation ties in with the scent portion as little as there was an added idea whereby the cups would be painted with luminescent colours, and would hang in mid air. Upon seeing these blobs of light from afar, the user would move towards it, and try to reach for them. There would also be stationary white balloons lighted up by LEDs dimly all around. We also tried out and see different aesthetics of ballon to see what would fit out theme, but we settled with normal plain white ones!

TOUCH

As for the touch, we were inspired by this video of how a balloon contraption moves on the internet. A piece of balloon simply stuck on a CD and due to the pressure, it moves in a very anemone-ish kind of way!

We experimented and tried with different way but we figured that it wasn’t the most reliable method for the movement. We realised that the surface of the floor and also how heavy and wide the base was played an important part. So this is the more mechanical method we found that we would try out!

So the idea would be that these little things would be attached with balloons and feathers and would be wiggling about on the floor dancing as touching and tickling the legs of the user as they walk through the space. This would also be the surprise anemone essence of the installation.

Also upon reaching for luminescent cups as mentioned above, the users would be tingled by a small metal ball/fuzzy object at the tugging portion, before pulling it.

Overall our installation would be in a dark room, with the kind of white playful aesthetic feel to it with a tinge/speck of colours in the room.

 

My Work, Process, Research

Animal Research: Sea Anemone!

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So the creature my group was assigned to was the relationship between the sea anemone and other animals, mostly the hermit crab and the clownfish. They share a symbiosis relationship which means that, it is a mutually beneficial relationship from both parties in close physical association.

The structure of the sea anemone

To understand how the anemone bonds with the hermit crab and clownfish, it is first important to understand the structure of the anemone, how it moves, defends and other actions it may take.

  • surrounded by numerous tentacles,  studded with nematocysts and are actively used in food capture and defence.
  • the nematocyst, or stinging capsule, similar to that of a jellyfish.
  • they have single sack-like body cavity that performs digestive, nutrient absorption and, gas exchange functions.
  • this single opening  is the mouth, through which food, water, and gametes must pass.
  • several kinds of muscles can be found, and are used to contract and bend the column in various directions.
  • the pedal disk, used by burrowing anemones to anchor in soft substrate.

So we can conclude there are numerous movements which the anemone takes which is, the stinging action by the tentacles, the column that contracts for digestive functions or just bending into directions and finally the pedal disk which sort of anchors the anemone or while it moves around.

Symbiosis with clownfish

The clownfish is the only fish that doesn’t get affected by the sea anemone stinging tentacles as they have a special mucus that protects them. They get accustomed to the sting as they lightly brush their bodies against the tentacle.

Symbiosis with hermit crab

As for the hermit crab, it is intelligent enough to find sea anemones to hook onto its shell for extra protection against predator. This makes the sea anemone seem as though it has a moving house! It doesn’t need to stay in one position waiting for food as the hermit crab does all the work for it.

I also came across two very interesting documentaries on the sea anemone so do take a look. Thanks for reading!