Sunday, April 11, 2010

94 - Jellyfishing



Lately, I've been getting a lot of information about jellyfish.  Some people consider them to be gentle creatures, while others see them as a nuisance.  Many have suffered and a few have died from the jellyfish sting.  Their increasing presence in the oceans is considered an indicator of climate change.

At first glance, these are exceedingly simple creatures, but when we look closer, we can see that they are incredibly complex and difficult to understand.  Their nematocysts (the harpoon-like stingers) are the fastest biophysical mechanism on Earth.  Their poison is a cocktail of some of the most dangerous substances known to Man.  We have no idea how they "see" or navigate, as they do not possess brains, but tests have shown that jellyfish  can be capable of recognising shapes and colours in the water, and can engage in chase and avoidance behaviours. 

Jellyfish can be interesting to look at.  Yesterday, I met a professional artist who is devoting his career to rendering jellyfish.  His works are incredibly beautiful.  He even sold us one of his prototypes, but I can't show it or talk about it in detail, as its creation involves some secret processes.

Instead, I created my own jellyfish picture.  Mostly, it's just an experimental work so I can play with colours and digital filters, which is fun.