With my project I aim at adressing the issue of dwelling in the unbreakable bubbles of different Umwelts. At the same time I am strongly interested in finding ways to question hierarchies that are manifested between the human and the non-human.
I want to provide the space for a non-human organism (probably physarum polysephalum) to grow – preferably a whole room will provide the medium for it. The goal is to investigate to what extent the organism can open up towards me and to what extend I can open up towards the organism, to make our bubbles overlap.
The spreading of the organism in the space will be captured (preferably) in 360° and then made accessible as a VR Environment. Via the two modes of perception of the space – as physical and as virtual environment – our situatedness in an Umwelt, that is always framed in a certain way, is emphasized. I want to find out what it means to experience the same space, inhabited by the same organisms in two different modes of perception at the same time.
An idea yet to be evaluated for practicality is the presence of my body in the room. I might rehearse ways of confrontation of my body with the organism. Also in order to question modes of control between me, as a human, and my non-human co-performer I want to research about the organism’s needs to survive and its sources of nutrition. Could it potentially eat me?
