C-Lab

C-Lab C-LAB is an arts collective that uses unconventional material and emerging technologies to create unique art experiences.

C-LAB - headed up by Dr Howard Boland and Dr Laura Cinti - is an award-winning bio art collective that engages with interdisciplinary use of cutting edge science, technology and art to bring to life concepts on the fringes of innovation. Their works have been exhibited and presented worldwide. Tweet:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauracinti/

Within the small glass vessel, approximately eight billion microorganisms, comparable to the human population of Earth, ...
15/04/2026

Within the small glass vessel, approximately eight billion microorganisms, comparable to the human population of Earth, swim, rotate, and synchronise their movement in response to a changing magnetic field. These are 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘮 𝘨𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦, magnetotactic bacteria whose bodies contain chains of iron crystals that physically align them with magnetic forces. As they reorient together, the way they scatter light shifts, producing a visible shimmering across the liquid. This is 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘯 - not mechanical, chemical, or digital, but entirely alive.

Link: https://www.c-lab.co.uk/projects/The_Phenomenon

18/03/2026

THE PHENOMENON (LIVING MIRROR) is currently on show as part of ‘Water as a Site for Transformation’ exhibition curated by Iva Buzhashka at Istorik Gallery in Valencia, Spain.

The exhibition examines how water is deeply entangled with human and planetary life, tracing bodily intimacies, ecological flows, and more-than-human relationships that shape our shared watery worlds. It features work by C-LAB (Laura Cinti & Howard Boland), Tarah Rhoda, Vøltika and Maria Peredo Guzman.

THE PHENOMENON explores the unique behaviour of 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘮 𝘨𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦, magnetotactic bacteria that swim along Earth’s magnetic field. When exposed to changing magnetic fields, these bacteria rotate synchronously, scattering light to create a shimmering effect in liquid. This behaviour forms the basis of LIVING MIRROR, an interactive bio-display in which viewers see their face reflected in real time as portraits shaped by the bacteria themselves. Suspended in water, the work foregrounds liquid as both medium and interface, connecting bodily perception to water’s material and planetary presence.

More info: https://www.c-lab.co.uk/projects/livingmirror

With sincerest thanks to Professor Rosa Montes Estellés, Universitat Politècnica de València, and Dr Miguel García Ferrús for supporting the cultivation of the bacteria.

13/02/2026

Der Palmfarn Encephalartos woodii gilt als die einsamste Pflanze der Welt. Nach einer Partnerin sucht man bisher vergeblich.

21/01/2026

Ein einsamer männlicher Palmfarn ist das letzte bekannte Exemplar seiner Art. In einem Wettlauf gegen die Zeit soll mithilfe von Drohnen und KI seine verschollene Partnerin gefunden werden

04/11/2025

Art Gallery installation "AI in the Sky" blends art, science, and AI to explore the search for the extinct cycad Encephalartos woodii and how machines perceive nature.

08/06/2025

At the heart of this project is a plant so rare that it stands on the brink of extinction. This plant, the Encephalartos woodii (E. woodii), a cycad classified as ‘extinct in the wild,’ is known from a single pollen-producing specimen found in South Africa’s oNgoye Forest in the late 19th cent...

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