The Physarum Experiments: various studies 2009-2018 Artist, Heather Barnett, works with the slime mould, Physarum polycephalum, as material, model and metaphor, investigating the organism’s navigational abilities and seemingly intelligent behaviours. For a single-celled organism without a single neuron to its name, this yellow amoeboid blob can solve complex problems, transfer learning and anticipate events. It is also quite beautiful, the dendritic growth patterns reminiscent of forms seen at varying scales in nature, from blood vessels to tree branches, from river deltas to lightening strikes. Barnett’s films, studies, installations and participatory experiments work with the underlying mechanisms that enable this simple organism to make complex decisions. Her artworks are the product of a negotiation over creative control and authorship with one of the earliest forms of life, and invite us to question our definitions of agency and intelligence across scales. Featuring: Study No. 022: Starvation Fireworks Study No. 019: The Maze (homage to a classic experiment) Study No. 026: Intraspecies Fusion Sound by Graham Barton
A collection of works involving immersive projection, audio visual installation, and virtual reality experiences.

The Realm Trailer

Heather Barnett
2.7K views6 years ago
Crowd Control connects art, science, law and urban design in an interdisciplinary study of the control mechanisms that affect human behaviour - exploring how groups move together, transfer information, make decisions and respond to change. Based at arebyte gallery, Hackney Wick during July 2017 a team of researchers and practitioners are running experiments, interventions and experiences exploring the interactions between individuals, groups and their environments. See: http://crowdcontrol.london for info
Animations and poems by Heather Barnett and Will Holloway, from the Small Worlds exhibition at The Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, Oct 2007 - April 2008.

The Great Pedanto

Heather Barnett
724 views16 years ago

The Voice of Scale

Heather Barnett
435 views16 years ago

Swarm | Cell | City

Heather Barnett
1.3K views7 years ago

PDIT slime mould under a microscope

Heather Barnett
1.8K views10 years ago

PDIT slime macro

Heather Barnett
557 views10 years ago

CSM slimes 2014

Heather Barnett
3.4K views10 years ago

MA Art and Science slime mould experiment

Heather Barnett
1K views11 years ago
experiments and animations by others

How This Blob Solves Mazes | WIRED

WIRED
397K views5 years ago

John Bonner's slime mold movies

Princeton University
388K views15 years ago

Lens of Time: Slime Lapse | bioGraphic

bioGraphicMagazine
339K views8 years ago

Slime mold solving a maze in the lab

Harvard Magazine
238K views15 years ago