Research Gathering 2007 07 13: Kirsty Kitto and Cocky Eek

During this research gathering, we have heard reports from the remote outposts of complex systems science and the art of making things, brought to us by Dr Kirsty Kitto and Cocky Eek. Our research lunch will feature a series of complex dishes composed of one sole ingredient.

Kirsty works within the fields of process physics, theoretical biology and computer science. She visited us from far Australia, bringing news from the Complex'07 conference (http://www.complex07.org/). She provided enlightening views on the elegant intricacies of quantum interactions, non-reductionist eco-systems whether in artificial or biological universes.

Cocky came down from Amsterdam to talk to us about shaping the world with ones own hands and feet, about making the hidden forms of materials come to life, about energy transfers and living structures. Inspired by Christopher Alexander's 'Timeless Way of Building', and her stay in the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary (http://www.gbsanctuary.org/), Cocky will show her movie 'To be awake like the tiger, the snail and the hooting owl' and take us through her collection of alive inflatables.

After the break, we continued with short updates from FoAM's
researchers-in-residence and discussions about our future plans for
Luminous Green, Open Sauces and WcCafe. For people who preferred climbing on roofs and connecting mesh networks, a few of floors above us, Patrick de Kooning, Code31 and others of OKNO are continuing their hands-on experiments with meshed networks, where you can join them to make first connections over several ranges, hook up the material and hope to get the network live and streaming.