LAEL provides a creative space for students, faculty, and staff projects at the intersection of art and science. This page describes ongoing areas of research within LAEL, including two grant-based projects.
Have an individual interest you’d like to explore, or an idea for a class workshop or project that we could help support? See our “About” Page for more information on how to get in touch and browse what equipment we have available.
Biological and Ecological Materials in Art
LAEL provides a hybrid lab-studio space equipped for exploring alternative biological materials in art, adding to the Department of Art’s array of makerspaces and facilities supporting student exploration in a variety of media. Some examples of materials students can work with in the lab include bioplastics, fungal biocomposites, Kombucha SCOBY, plant-based pigments for paints and dyes, and waste-stream materials, among others.
The Lichen Research and Art Project (“Lichen Likers”) draws inspiration from the symbiotic lifestyle of lichens.
Lichens are composite organisms formed through the cooperation of various species of fungi, algae, and cyanobacteria, whose collaboration allows them to thrive in places where each partner alone could not. The Lichen Likers draw inspiration from the lichen “lifestyle” to create digital and performance-based artwork sharing their love for these organisms. This was project started in 2023 by Amy Youngs and Doosung Yoo, and has continued into the 2024-2025 academic year with support from the Global Arts and Humanities Discovery Theme. More information on this project can be found on the Lichen Likers’ website and on their instagram.
Art & Ecology Student Research Assistants on the Lichen Likers Project:
Current project Team: Doosung Yoo, Amy Youngs Madison Blue, Ophelia Kruse, Brennan Jones, Barry Yuan, Sam Clemente, Nate Garthwaite, Jiara Sha, Alex Buchan, Emma Kline. Project team bios for current and past team members can be found here on the Lichen Likers website.
Collaborators (symbionts): Dr. Bob Klips and the Ohio Moss and Lichen Association (OMLA), OSU Landscape Services, Global Arts and Humanities Discovery Theme, CHANT (Culture, Healing, Art, Nature, Technology collaboration with the University of Minneapolis, MN), CELS (Creative Ecologies and Living Systems research collective, Toronto Metropolitan University)
Lost Waters explores environmental history on Ohio State’s campus
Lost Waters is a creative research project investigating the disappearance of Neil Run, a stream which once crossed the present-day South Oval and Mirror Lake Hollow. Neil Run vanishes from campus maps in the 1890s – a common story in urban areas, where waterways are often diverted or buried to make way for development. Inspired by the Baltimore-based Ghost Rivers project, Lost Waters brings together an interdisciplinary team to make visible changes to the university’s landscape through interactive virtual reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) artwork. The results of this project will be shared during LAEL’s Earth Day 2025 festivities, and more information can be found on the project’s website. This project was funded through a 2024 Ohio State Energy Partners (OSEP) Grant.
Student Research Assistants on the Lost Waters Project:
