GMU:Different Worlds/Anna Wissmueller/Experiments

Wearing Physarum Polycephalum

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the collection

first try:

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shirt with a patch of Physarum on the back

how to wear

next step will be experimenting with reviving the Physarum on the fabric and hopefully finding a solution on how to wear it properly

the progress - how can Physarum be made into clothes?

The Physarum has to be grown on plastic foil, this works best, when the Physarum spills over from agar to plastic foil in its growing stage. The plastic foil is then placed on the fabric and pressed for about one week under nine books. This will result in a smooth leathery surface on the fabric, the earthy scent is included

Could you think of your project in terms of sustainability? Social, economic, ecological? Could you think of the impact on the “other” bubble? How does your project contribute to the aspects?

Fast fashion is one of the biggest climate killers in terms of water pollution, garbage production and c02 output. The fashion industry needs to focus on regrowing ecological media that does not harm the environment. Physarum can be the suitable medium for this problem. It is fast and cheap to grow and will not pollute or harm nature. After ist use for fashion and clothes it will simply become a part of nature again.

Documentation

22.04.2021

Sample 1:

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Sample 2:

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23.04.2021

Sample 1:

in the morning i had to remove some white mold and fed them with more oatflakes

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Sample 2:

in the morning i had to remove some mold and fed them with more oat flakes

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25.4.2021

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For the weekend i brought my three samples to my parents house in another city. To transport the Physarum safely in a train I repurposed the tool kit suitcase. It seems like the transportation and change of surrounding has not harmed the organisms. On the contrary, the Physarum is growing faster in the dark suitcase than in a shadowy place in my room.

26.4.2021

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The Physarum covers all of the petri-dish now. It is very bright and yellow.

27.4.2021

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The Physarum is back in Weimar and this morning it grew out of the petri-dish. Time for a new environment. I prepared a cardbox with baking paper, cooked a lot of agar medium and filled the cardbox with that. I used agar from the supermarket and a cardbox is not a totally serile environment. Will the Physarum still grow? I would love to imitate a small part of a forest, maybe inside of an aquarium where the Physarum can grow in an environment that is as natural as possible. Interesting link: https://www.geo.de/natur/naturwunder-erde/16036-rtkl-schlauer-pilz-dieser-schleimpilz-kann-sich-erinnern-und-raetsel

28.4.2021

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The Physarum is growing very fast in the improvised cardboard box environment. Even faster than in the petri dishes.

29.4.2021

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30.4.2021

i added coffee grounds and the Physarum seems to like it

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1.5.2021

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the sample in the petri dishes startet to dry a bit

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2.5.2021

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3.5.2021

i added some potato peel to try out if the Physarum likes it but it has not been discovered yet

and i startet to grow a sample in the maze

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7.5.2021

Reviving some semi-dried Physarum was successful:

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9.5.2021

starting to grow a lot of Physarum in a big environment, so i can test out different fabrics:

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9.5.-18.5.

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Project idea(s)

1.Inside and outside we are the same - Living in Physarums world

As a project i want to create a performance which will picture similarities Physarum and humans share and how they can interact and coexist. A person and the Physarum will share a table, clothes and food. The person is sitting at a table, eating some oatmeal. The Physarum will be placed on the table. The person is eating oatmeal and will feed some of the oatfklakes to the Physarum from time to time. The love to oats is something Physarum Polycephalum and humans have in common.

The performance shows how much the lives of Physarum and a person can be entangled and how they can share room and even a meal

Following thechnical things will be necessary for the installtation:

Figuering out how to place the Physarum on the table: in a petri dish? Growing on the table? Etc.

How long will the person have to sit on the table für the Physarum to "eat" some of the oaflakes? Comment

Tehching Hsieh: One Year Performance 1980–1981 (Time Clock Piece)

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4_xw2zyQN4

2. Inside and outside we are the same - You cannot kill me in a way that matters

a clothing piece overgrown with Physarum that is usually dried but can be revived whenever necessary and continues to grow

Growing Physarum on fabric:

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- pure fabric

- fabric treated with agar beforehand

--> both fabric samples were placed on agar and then overgrown with Physarum

- samples of Physarum placed on the fabric (can it be revived or is the Physarum sample too weak?)

- fabric placed on Physarum and then overgrown with Physarum (the best reult so far)

"Jesses Synopsis"

The buildup:

1. The first part is an attempt to apply physarum polycephalum to a piece of fabric, to study it’s adaptive qualities and possible usage for fashion. The slime mold is capable of inhabiting a fabric just as any other environment. This allows for creative and sustainable applications of fashion clothing.

2. The other part is an environment for a performance. The performer and the slime mold are present as equals and will come together for a dining experience, eating a meal of oat flakes each in their preferred way.

the concept:

1. For one, a living organism, applied to piece of clothing that is wearable is a fresh impulse for fashion design. It’s sustainable and degradable characteristics are a strong counterpoint to the synthetic, exploitative and wasteful handling of resources by the fashion industry. The whole is a proposition towards a more sustainable and mindful way for humans to live and dress. 2. The performance is an empathetic approach to the connections and common traits between humans and slime molds. The informal setting of a shared meal makes a point to show the community of all life, beyond the borders of species