KIKK Festival

Experimenting with Physarum polycephalum while questioning the interface between design and biology. The main protagonist of this workshop by Ori Elisar is a yellow coloured slimy organism called Physarum polycephalum. It's a fascinating and wonderful single-celled microorganism with primitive intelligence, often used as a model organism in the fields of scientific research. It also makes for a perfect creative collaborator and has a memory, while growing­ 1 cm per hour. Participants will design a few practical experiments based on concepts they come up with and test its capabilities and problem solving skills. They will also discover methods, tools and methodologies of creating a kitchen-based laboratory, and question the role this single-celled organism plays in the cultures of science and design and its aesthetic qualities. They will then incubate these experiments, allowing the bacteria to move and interact. Finally, when we turn off the lights and say goodbye, participants will have a new pet to take home and play with. No specific background is needed. Just an open mind will do!