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SUB (SLIME)

 

 

 

 

 

In this ongoing experimental series, I grow Physarum polycephalum (otherwise known as slime mould) over cloth and domestic objects such as plates, teacups and saucers. Although they have no brain or neurons, slime moulds  are incredibly intelligent organisms, capable of solving complex problems with extreme efficiency. P. polycephalum is driven by its quest for food, forming a fan-like network of tendrils tendrils that move at a relatively rapid  in their quest for food. Each tendril moves almost visibly by cytoplasmic streaming - a pulsing moment of the liquid inside its cell walls. It is simultaneously beautiful and repulsive - an oozing, bright yellow, lace-like blob. The plasmodium has been shown to demonstrate a form of 'primitive intelligence', in that it is able to find the shortest, most efficient way of reaching its target (food) and the shortest distance between food sources. In this way, it can be seen as a metaphor for multiple forms of global systems of interconnectivity (virtual, digital, viral). 

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