ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I will briefly explain the conceptual background and a series of small experiments that led to the audiovisual installation “Pulse, Flow”, which gently transfers the audience into the slow-pacing world of Physarum polycephalum. The growth and branching would occur in short bursts, reminiscent of aggressive behavior. The branches are spanning in the directions of empty space, not favoring the food specifically. Max/MSP is a visual programing environment where placing boxes containing various functions and connecting them into larger structures using virtual cables make programs. A Max/MSP program looks like a tree structure, sometimes even a network-like structure. In the projection, breathing phases are emphasized using two different colors, and audience can see the intricate wave-like reaction-diffusion patterns sliding across the entire body of slime mold on a timescale of couple minutes. The current breathing phase of Physarum is used to drive a technically simple sound composition.
