minutiae - Exhibition of work in progress

Catherine Watling is an artist who specializes in inter-disciplinary work with a special interest in art/science based research. Her work predominantly focuses on the alternative and sensual use of digital tools to create interactive and immersive experiential environments. She is currently Associate Artist at the Junction, Cambridge and has recently been awarded an Arts Council Grant in order to attend the Kilwa Archaeological Survey as attached artist. She is also Co-Director of New Dust.

A bit of context on the work in progress...

Conceptually Minutiae will explore theories of evolution focussing on microscopic organisms. Analogy will be made to larger scale creatures/objects/humans in order to create an understandable narrative.

Some areas of interest:

Single celled organisms: the communication between Coccolithophores / Phytoplankton / Diatoms/ slime mould etc. perhaps leading into the suggestion that complex multi-cellular creatures, for this project concentrating on humans, are in fact made up of single celled organisms in agreement forming a societal structure.

Genetics: How do genes figure in this theory? Are they a means for communication between the cells developed from the very beginning when the cells needed to specify their role within the 'society'? What information then do genes carry? Could a single gene reveal our entire evolutionary history? (Solexa Genetics, Cambridge)

Looking back in time: If then, single celled organisms are the origins of life, by exploring into previously unexplored territory such as areas of Antarctica could we get a glimpse of how we began and how we developed into the complex 'creature' that we are now?

Life on Mars: Is there evidence of life on Mars? Are simple organisms such as Cyanobacteria that exist in very extreme conditions such as Antarctica an example of life on other planets? (Charlie Cockell, Astrobiologist at the British Antarctic Survey)

Chronological taxonomy: Is it possible to make an evolutionary timeline through comparing species? I.e. stages of development from single cell > jellyfish > man.

The evolve programme is supported by the Flemish Ministry of Culture. 'Temporal Manifestation' was shortlisted for Sci-Art (2001) and was a Future Physical Research Commission in association with the Junction and assisted by the Babraham Institute (2002/3)