Muellauer used his residency to make advances on his Open Research Buoy (ORB), an open-sourced, community-driven project that aims to develop technology which will help monitor and research endangered water ecosystems.  He met with scientists and environmental specialists to assess useful data collection devices and tested the ORB in area waterways from the Studio pond to Bayou Segnette. The ORB also participated in the Loup Garou boat parade on Lundi Gras in Bayou St. John.

Sebastian Muellauer is a native German/Austrian creator working in the intersection of design, technology, nature and human intervention. He studied Man and Living at the Design Academy in Eindhoven and received a diploma with distinction in Industrial Design from the University of Arts – Burg Giebichenstein in Halle. His work has been internationally exhibited at Arco(SP), Ars Electronica (AU), TEKS – MetaMorf (Norway) , Transnatural Festival, V2_ Institute for the Unstable Media and DEAF (NL).

“When I came to the studio I could feel and see that this place had been shaped by sensible, creative minds over a period of several years. Nature and Culture merge here in equal parts. A Studio in the Woods facilities hosted ORB in best ways, with a charming workshop, the pond, the surrounding woods and a huge variety of wildlife sneaking around the house, making late night work sessions exciting.” – Sebastian Muellauer