WormConnect is an interspecies connector, enabling human beings to enter into the world of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, connecting with them on a perceptual and physiological level. The project explores the material agency of microorganisms and the capacity of emerging technologies as mediums for information transmission, communication and interconnectedness between human and non-human organisms. By establishing an intimate bioelectrical connection between human and worm (via the human heartbeat), WormConnect affords an experience of otherness and multiplicity that would otherwise be inaccessible. Furthermore, by creating these types of strange technoecological systems that can bridge heterogeneous lifeworlds, boundless possibilities for states of mutual influence and understanding can be imagined, which may serve to question the anthropocentric divisions between humans, technology and the more than human world.

WormConnect uses a computer vision algorithm to track the location and amount of worms in the petri dish. As they move across the dish, the worms trigger the series of prime numbers (often used to communicate with alien intelligence). These numbers are encoded as binary digits (the language of digital computers) and represented by a set of eight lights (representing one byte of data). To interact with the piece, participants place their hands on two copper plates, which read their heart beat. This triggers a change in the worms’ environment – one side of the dish becomes colder, the other warmer. This in turn will cause the worms to slowly move towards their preferred temperature (typically the colder side). Over time, this movement will cause a change in the system state, represented by a change in the background sound. The piece represents a speculative attempt at communication with an almost invisible and “alien” species.

A collaboration with Bello Bello, Patricia Melton and Mary Pat Siebert of DX Media Lab

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