Casper Zebrafish [expanded]

v1.0 by: Michael Takeo Magruder, 2025

A sculptural-cinematic artwork generated from scientific imaging data of an adult Casper Zebrafish.

About the Artwork:

Casper Zebrafish [expanded] is a sculptural-cinematic artwork that has been generated from 36,890 image slices of a whole tissue-cleared adult specimen. The 1.7TB of raw scientific data was captured and processed with a custom MesoSPIM light-sheet microscope system then aesthetically transformed using a combination of traditional digital-cinema techniques and the latest generation of AI image-processing models.

This work is a creative dialogue between Art and Science that was produced during the artist's yearlong residency at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) as part of the institute's Arts Meets Science programme. It is an exploration of the possibilities that arise from the intersection of advanced scientific research, leading-edge imaging and AI technologies, and experimental media arts practice.

Artwork Documentation:

Source Material:

36,890 image-slices (2-channel, 10.2MP each; 1.7TB total data) of a whole tissue-cleared adult Casper Zebrafish captured using a custom MesoSPIM light-sheet fluorescence microscope at MDI Biological Laboratory on 18/08/2024.

Source Documentation:

In Dialogue with:

Dr Marko Pende [ MDIBL scientific research: tissue clearing, light-sheet microscopy, and image processing ]

With Thanks to:

Dr Prayag Murawala [ MDIBL host laboratory ] . Light Microscopy Facility, MDIBL [ research infrastructure ]

Artwork Requirements:

Modular video installation with soundscape: media system capable of single/multi-channel 8K (or 4K) cinematic 24fps video display and stereo audio.

Video Documentation:

Supported by:

Casper Zebrafish [expanded] was commissioned and produced as part of the Beyond Resolution exhibition at MDI Biological Laboratory for its 2024-2025 Arts Meets Science programme.