Biological systems as non-compliant matter
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
March 2019
A series of experiments carried out at the BIOLAB at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, exploring the behavior of Physarum Polycephalum and other slime molds on agar substrates.
Many of the cultures did not evolve as expected. Growth stalled, spread unevenly, or collapsed into dense, opaque formations. Rather than producing clear structures, they generated unstable, shifting textures that exist somewhere between surface and organism.
These outcomes, initially considered unsuccessful, reveal a different kind of logic. They resist optimization and control, exposing biological processes as material events rather than predictable systems.
The project relates to Organismus Manifesto, extending its interest in non-human agency and distributed forms of organization.
Many of the cultures did not evolve as expected. Growth stalled, spread unevenly, or collapsed into dense, opaque formations. Rather than producing clear structures, they generated unstable, shifting textures that exist somewhere between surface and organism.
These outcomes, initially considered unsuccessful, reveal a different kind of logic. They resist optimization and control, exposing biological processes as material events rather than predictable systems.
The project relates to Organismus Manifesto, extending its interest in non-human agency and distributed forms of organization.
