GMU:If the organism will not come to me, I will go to the organism

Euglena gracilis toolkit

Lecturer: Mindaugas Gapševičius
Tutor: Antje Danz
Credits: 6 ECTS, 4 SWS
Date: Thursdays 09:15-12:30
Venue: Marienstraße 7b, Biolab (Room 202)
First meeting: Thursday, 7 May 2020; 09:15-12:30

The theme of the course is a reference to the well known biblical saying about a mountain, which, if not moved would invite to move oneself. The saying means openness to whatever input, and ability to adjust to the way things are. In the upcoming course, we will study interactive settings between organisms and ourselves, build situations for organisms to move the way we want. Still, to force organisms to move the way we want would not necessarily become truth, therefore, the final goal of the course is rather to understand the interactive settings between different types of organisms, including ourselves.

While working in our homes we will have a focus on two organisms: a slime mold physarum polycefallum, and a flagellate euglena gracilis. Students will be provided with organisms, and tools to develop their ideas. Students with specific needs will be directed to available methods and resources.

No special skills are required to participate in the course.

Please Note

This class is limited to students from BfA/MfA MKG, VK, FK, Media Architechture

Registration to the course

Please send a motivation letter to mindaugas.gapsevicius[@]uni-weimar.de

Tools and Toolkits

Students will be provided with video tutorials and toolkits containing tools. Available 5 toolkits / each.

Euglena gracilis

• various glassware (6 units)
• Euglena gracilis
• Chemicals
• mini scale
• small pipette

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Physarum polycephalum

• Petri dishes (5 units)
• 3d Labyrinth
• agar-agar
• living physarum polycephalum
• dried physarum polycephalum
• Digital microskope

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Related student projects

Physarum Polycephalum

• Writing system for Non-Human species by Fernanda Caicedo
• Farewell PP by Antje Danz

Euglena Gracilis

• Euglena clock by Leoni Fischer
• Bio boardgame with Euglena by Nastaran Sahraei

Grading

The outcome of the course is an interactive setting between humans and organisms. The successful completion of the course is a regular participation in the Moodle webinar and a project documented in the GMU wiki. The documentation may contain text, video, images, sketches, sound, and other digital formats.

• 20 % Theory
• 50 % Individual project
• 30 % Documentation including 20% of updates in Wiki