FORMATA

Today, at a time when our anthropogenic impact and material culture are expanding beyond Earth, what would it mean ontologically to experience performative alien matter? FORMATA is a multi-sensory art installation, featuring lively and autonomous blobs within an experimental reactor crafted to simulate an alien world with liquid formamide. The vibrant blobs that inhabit this 'mini-planet’ are composed of abiotic fatty acids, amino acids and hydrocarbons – echoing the organic materials found in meteorites and comets. Unlike Earth, the atmosphere here is an exotic blend of carbon monoxide, ammonia and argon gases, and the rocky surface is covered with warm pools of formamide. Within these pools, the oily blobs become animated, breaking free from stasis to engage in a dynamic dance of deformation, active movement, and self-division.