Cellular automata was a landmark discovery, enabling scientists to model and more deeply understand evolving social dynamics. LifeViewer, one of the leading software for simulating cellular automata, allowed these complex, emergent patterns to be viewable in 2D. Our vision extends the concept of LifeViewer: instead of a single pixel replicating on a board, abstract patterns are composed of dance-made traces. The dramaturgical core of this project is the translation of cellular automata into a dance framework. As the cells that colonize space over time are quite literally produced by a human performer, we bring awareness to our sense of agency within our own evolution.

Concept / Research: Maria Pyatkova, Jo Kolski, Georgica J. Pettus
Visual design / Creative tech: Barış Pekcağlıyan, Orhun Mersin C.
Curation of Visuals: Orhun Mersin C., Maria Pyatkova, Jo Kolski, Georgica J. Pettus
Dancers: Orhun Mersin C., Maria Pyatkova
Sound design: Katrine Bregnum
Documentation: Fritz Tsai
Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media within the framework of NPN | Stepping Out | NEUSTART KULTUR
The installation/Performance was running during the full time of OPEN LAB.
More information here: https://dock11-berlin.de/digital/programm/ar-residenz-2022/cellular-automata