LINEA UMIDA
RESEARCH - A/V INSTALLATION - SOUND DESIGN
TEAM: {LINEAUMIDA: MATILDE SARTORI & NICOLÒ BALDI}
PESARO - [2025]




LINEA UMIDA IS THE SELF-TITLED DEBUT PROJECT BY THE COLLECTIVE FORMED BY NICOLÒ BALDI AND MATILDE SARTORI (matildee3.github.io/matilde), AS AN EVOLUTION OF THE ‘SLIME MACHINE’ PROJECT.
LINEA UMIDA IS AN AUDIO-VISUAl INSTALLATION THAT EXPLORES
INTELLIGENCE AND THE RELATIONSHIP WITH MACHINES FROM A
NON-ANTHROPOCENTRIC PERSPECTIVE,
LINEA UMIDA IS AN AUDIO-VISUAl INSTALLATION THAT EXPLORES
INTELLIGENCE AND THE RELATIONSHIP WITH MACHINES FROM A
NON-ANTHROPOCENTRIC PERSPECTIVE,
CHALLENGING THE DOMINANT CEREBROCENTRIC VIEW.
THE PROJECT RECEIVED AN HONORABLE MENTION IN THE FIRST EDITION OF THE BIOSFERA PRIZE, ORGANIZED BY PESARO 2024 – ITALIAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE, IN COLLABORATION WITH FONDAZIONE PESCHERIA, CTESQUARE, ARTIFACT STUDIO, AND UMANESIMO ARTIFICIALE.
THE PROJECT RECEIVED AN HONORABLE MENTION IN THE FIRST EDITION OF THE BIOSFERA PRIZE, ORGANIZED BY PESARO 2024 – ITALIAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE, IN COLLABORATION WITH FONDAZIONE PESCHERIA, CTESQUARE, ARTIFACT STUDIO, AND UMANESIMO ARTIFICIALE.
SLIME MACHINE


THE CENTER IS THE SLIME MOLD, SPECIFICALLY PHYSARUM POLYCEPHALUM, AN ORGANISM THAT DEFIES THE BINARISM BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE, EXISTING BOTH AS A SINGLE ENTITY AND AS A COORDINATED GROUP.
MOREOVER, THIS ORGANISM IS DECENTRALIZED: THE SLIME MOULD LACKS A CENTRAL SYSTEM; ITS CONTROL IS DISTRIBUTED EVERYWHERE AND NOWHERE. AND FOR THESE REASONS IT WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR AN ALGORITHM TO FOLLOW ITS CHARACTERISTICS.
THE OUTCOMING ALGORITHM FROM THIS RESEARCH, AAARDM.PY, IS A COMPUTER VISION ALGORITHM INSPIRED BY THE BEHAVIOR OF SLIME MOULDS, PARTICULARLY FOCUSING ON EDGE DETECTION. UNLIKE TRADITIONAL MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS, WHICH ARE DESIGNED TO PREDICT A UNIQUE SOLUTION EFFICIENTLY, THIS ALGORITHM IS METAHEURISTIC IN NATURE.
IN FACT, THE KEY DISTINCTION LIES IN ITS APPROACH: INSTEAD OF AIMING FOR
MOREOVER, THIS ORGANISM IS DECENTRALIZED: THE SLIME MOULD LACKS A CENTRAL SYSTEM; ITS CONTROL IS DISTRIBUTED EVERYWHERE AND NOWHERE. AND FOR THESE REASONS IT WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR AN ALGORITHM TO FOLLOW ITS CHARACTERISTICS.
THE OUTCOMING ALGORITHM FROM THIS RESEARCH, AAARDM.PY, IS A COMPUTER VISION ALGORITHM INSPIRED BY THE BEHAVIOR OF SLIME MOULDS, PARTICULARLY FOCUSING ON EDGE DETECTION. UNLIKE TRADITIONAL MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS, WHICH ARE DESIGNED TO PREDICT A UNIQUE SOLUTION EFFICIENTLY, THIS ALGORITHM IS METAHEURISTIC IN NATURE.
IN FACT, THE KEY DISTINCTION LIES IN ITS APPROACH: INSTEAD OF AIMING FOR
A SINGLE OPTIMAL PREDICTION, IT ITERATIVELY SEARCHES FOR THE BEST SOLUTION BASED ON PREVIOUSLY ENCOUNTERED SOLUTIONS.
THIS PROCESS IS STOCHASTIC AND MIMICS THE PROBLEM-SOLVING BEHAVIOR OBSERVED IN SLIME MOULDS.
IN AAARDM.PY, A COMPUTER VISION ALGORITHM HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO MAKE ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF COMPUTING MORE EASILY IMAGINABLE AND UNDERSTANDABLE TO US. IN FACT, WHAT WE INTERPRET AS A MERE EDGE IN AN IMAGE IS A POINT OF OPTIMUM TO THE ALGORITHM, AND GOOD FOOD FOR THE SLIME MOULD.
THIS APPROACH PROVIDES BOTH A PHILOSOPHICAL AND PRACTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR A MORE ECOLOGICAL AND INCLUSIVE FORM OF COMPUTING: THIS ALGORITHM STARTS WITH RANDOMNESS AND LOOKS FOR SOLUTIONS INSTEAD OF PREDICTING THEM. IT ALLOWS THE INTERPRETATION OF MORE-THAN-HUMAN BEHAVIOR, THAT OF SLIME MOULD, THROUGH DATA.
THIS PROCESS IS STOCHASTIC AND MIMICS THE PROBLEM-SOLVING BEHAVIOR OBSERVED IN SLIME MOULDS.
IN AAARDM.PY, A COMPUTER VISION ALGORITHM HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO MAKE ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF COMPUTING MORE EASILY IMAGINABLE AND UNDERSTANDABLE TO US. IN FACT, WHAT WE INTERPRET AS A MERE EDGE IN AN IMAGE IS A POINT OF OPTIMUM TO THE ALGORITHM, AND GOOD FOOD FOR THE SLIME MOULD.
THIS APPROACH PROVIDES BOTH A PHILOSOPHICAL AND PRACTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR A MORE ECOLOGICAL AND INCLUSIVE FORM OF COMPUTING: THIS ALGORITHM STARTS WITH RANDOMNESS AND LOOKS FOR SOLUTIONS INSTEAD OF PREDICTING THEM. IT ALLOWS THE INTERPRETATION OF MORE-THAN-HUMAN BEHAVIOR, THAT OF SLIME MOULD, THROUGH DATA.
A/V INSTALLATION ON BIOSFERA
LINEA UMIDA ADAPTS THESE PRINCIPLES TO AN IMMERSIVE AUDIOVISUAL EXPERIENCE THAT COMBINES VISUAL AND SOUND ELEMENTS, MAKING THE CORE OF SLIME MACHINE ACCESSIBLE IN A DIRECT AND ENGAGING WAY.
THE VISUAL PART OF THE WORK IS GENERATED BY THE OUTPUT OF THE AAARDM.PY ALGORITHM, WHICH, IN 18000 EPOCHS, I.E., 18000 COMPLETE CYCLES OF COMPUTATION ON AN ITEROUS DATASET, SEARCHES FOR THE OPTIMAL SOLUTION.
THE ALGORITHM WAS DEVELOPED IN PYTHON USING THE MEALPY LIBRARY (VAN THIEU & MIRJALILI, 2023).
IT WORKS ON IMAGES OF SIZE 100X100 PIXELS AND THEREFORE TO CREATE THE FINAL VISUAL WORK, WE DIVIDED THE FINAL FORMAT OF 2240X1084PX INTO MODULES OF 100X100PX.
THE VISUAL PART OF THE WORK IS GENERATED BY THE OUTPUT OF THE AAARDM.PY ALGORITHM, WHICH, IN 18000 EPOCHS, I.E., 18000 COMPLETE CYCLES OF COMPUTATION ON AN ITEROUS DATASET, SEARCHES FOR THE OPTIMAL SOLUTION.
THE ALGORITHM WAS DEVELOPED IN PYTHON USING THE MEALPY LIBRARY (VAN THIEU & MIRJALILI, 2023).
IT WORKS ON IMAGES OF SIZE 100X100 PIXELS AND THEREFORE TO CREATE THE FINAL VISUAL WORK, WE DIVIDED THE FINAL FORMAT OF 2240X1084PX INTO MODULES OF 100X100PX.
THE INPUT OF THE ALGORITHM IS AN IMAGE WE CREATED COMPOSED OF
DIFFERENT ORGANIC FIGURES THAT RECALL THOSE OF THE SLIME MOULD. THE OUTPUT IS GIVEN BY THE SET OF THE GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF THE EPOCHS. THE FINAL IMAGE REPRESENTS THE EDGES OF THE INPUT IMAGE OBTAINED BY THE ALGORITHM.
THROUGH THIS INSTALLATION, A NEW WAY OF DOING TECHNOLOGY IS PROPOSED THAT CELEBRATES NATURE AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION. THE INTEGRATION OF AUDIOVISUAL ELEMENTS AIMS TO COMMUNICATE THE CONCEPTS OF DECENTRALIZATION AND RANDOMNESS IN AN INTUITIVE WAY, DEMONSTRATING HOW TECHNOLOGIES CAN EVOLVE NOT ONLY THROUGH EFFICIENCY.
DIFFERENT ORGANIC FIGURES THAT RECALL THOSE OF THE SLIME MOULD. THE OUTPUT IS GIVEN BY THE SET OF THE GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF THE EPOCHS. THE FINAL IMAGE REPRESENTS THE EDGES OF THE INPUT IMAGE OBTAINED BY THE ALGORITHM.
THROUGH THIS INSTALLATION, A NEW WAY OF DOING TECHNOLOGY IS PROPOSED THAT CELEBRATES NATURE AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION. THE INTEGRATION OF AUDIOVISUAL ELEMENTS AIMS TO COMMUNICATE THE CONCEPTS OF DECENTRALIZATION AND RANDOMNESS IN AN INTUITIVE WAY, DEMONSTRATING HOW TECHNOLOGIES CAN EVOLVE NOT ONLY THROUGH EFFICIENCY.
‘UNA LINEA UMIDA’ SOUNDTRACK

THE SOUNDTRACK IS INSPIRED BY THE SEEMINGLY INCOMPREHENSIBLE BEHAVIOR OF PHYSARUM ITSELF: A MOVEMENT OF CHAOS AND ORDER THAT FINALLY MANIFESTS ITSELF AS DEEPLY ORGANIC.
MUCH LIKE THE CALCULATION OF THE ALGORITHM ITSELF, THE SOUNDS DO NOT FOLLOW A LINEAR METRIC BUT RATHER EMERGE IMPERFECTLY AND PULSATINGLY, ALIVE.
WITHIN THE COMPOSITION THEY SEEM TO STRUGGLE TO EMERGE, TO BREATHE.
MUCH LIKE THE CALCULATION OF THE ALGORITHM ITSELF, THE SOUNDS DO NOT FOLLOW A LINEAR METRIC BUT RATHER EMERGE IMPERFECTLY AND PULSATINGLY, ALIVE.
WITHIN THE COMPOSITION THEY SEEM TO STRUGGLE TO EMERGE, TO BREATHE.
THE RANDOM REPETITION OF MELODIC PARAMETERS WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE USE OF THE INSTRUMENT THAT
MOST EMBODIES THE CONCEPT OF A VIBRANT, INDEPENDENT SELF: THE SYNTHESIZER.
COMPOSED IN FACT WITH ANALOG AND DIGITAL SYNTHESIZERS, THE TRACK FOLLOWS A PROCESS OF SOUND SCULPTING THAT RESEMBLES THE PROCESSING OF THE ALGORITHM ITSELF: A CONSTANT OPERATION OF SELECTION AND EVOLUTION THAT ULTIMATELY DEFINES A SINGLE FORM.
MOST EMBODIES THE CONCEPT OF A VIBRANT, INDEPENDENT SELF: THE SYNTHESIZER.
COMPOSED IN FACT WITH ANALOG AND DIGITAL SYNTHESIZERS, THE TRACK FOLLOWS A PROCESS OF SOUND SCULPTING THAT RESEMBLES THE PROCESSING OF THE ALGORITHM ITSELF: A CONSTANT OPERATION OF SELECTION AND EVOLUTION THAT ULTIMATELY DEFINES A SINGLE FORM.