Ecce Homology is an interactive installation that bridges art and science through the use of dynamic media, computer vision and computer graphics. Named after Friedrich Nietzscheís Ecce Homo, a meditation on how one becomes what one is, the project explores human evolution by examining similarities ñ known as ìhomologyî ñ between genes from human beings and a target organism, in this case the rice plant.

The project uses custom software to visualize genetic data as luminous pictograms that resemble Chinese or Sanskrit calligraphy. Five projectors present Ecce Homology’s calligraphic forms across a 40-foot wide wall. A novel computer-vision interface allows multiple participants, through their movement in the installation space, to draw their own calligraphic characters and select genes from the human genome for visualizing the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), a primary data-mining tool used worldwide in comparative genomics. Results are presented as two superimposed pictograms. Ecce Homology asks: Can artistic approaches and aesthetic experience nurture discovery in the sciences?

The video below is two and a half minutes and contains audio. For  additional videos and more information, including about the collaborative team and sponsors, please visit the project website: http://www.insilicov1.org