This video is from a project with artist Anne Brodie. A liquid culture of marine bioluminescent bacteria responding to fluctuations in oxygen concentration.

The title  is from a chapter in Graham Joyce’s haunting and  wonderful new  book, The Year of the Ladybird which inspired this post.

“She lowered herself to sit cross-legged onto the sand and I sat behind her, not too close. We stared out at the foaming, electric-blue discharge of phosphorescent waves. “It’s beautiful!” she said “Beautiful!”

” I know”, I said, “It’s something to do with microscopic creatures reacting with oxygen to reflect–”