Working with Slime Mold: A Living Collaboration

Meet Physarum polycephalum  a single-celled superorganism that lives in forests, and can even be found around New York City!

Slime molds can solve mazes, find efficient paths to food, and adapt to its surroundings, all without a brain. Reminiscent of The Blob and familiar to those who may have recently watched The Last of Us, slime molds have been piquing the interest of scientists and sci-fi fans alike for over a century. 

In the modern age, where everyone has a time-lapse camera built into the phones in their pocket, anyone can become an amateur biologist and capture magical footage of the goopy yellow enigma that is the slime mold.

In this hands on workshop, you'll discover how slime mold is used in both science and art and get to play with it yourself. 

Participants will:

• Cut and replate their own slime mold into an easy-to-care-for container
• Create a fortune-telling experiment
• Design a maze for the slime mold to explore
• Learn how to document and film their growth
• Brainstorm wild and creative ways to collaborate with this living organism

COVID-19 Safety Notice:

If you are feeling unwell, suspect that you have been exposed to COVID-19 or test positive, please do not attend and let us know ASAP (aW5mbyB8IGdlbnNwYWNlICEgb3Jn). If you cancel after our 7-day policy, we cannot refund your ticket, but we can exchange and offer credits toward future classes. If you have signed up for Biohacker Boot Camp, we will automatically transfer your registration to the next month’s dates unless you tell us otherwise.

Emma Rice (She/they) is a multidisciplinary bio artist and sculptor. Before graduating with a BFA in 2025, she spent 3 years working at the School of Visual Arts Bio Art Lab as a lab assistant and maintained her own bio art practice where she spent her time studying biomaterials and slime molds. Whether working alongside organisms or depicting them in sculptures, Emma uses the non-human in her artistic practice as a surrogate for mankind and the human condition.

Instagram: @wizardmutt

Website: RipleyRiceart.com

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