Art Installation Explores Algae and Lichen at U
A suite of participatory art installations at the University of Minnesota pairs virtual reality, sculpture and sound with the biology of algae and lichen.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Botany
The University of Minnesota hosted the art-science installation "Slow * Flexible * Everywhere" at the Regis Center for Art on Thursday, combining virtual reality, sculpture and sound. A second showing is scheduled at the Ecology Building on Nov. 18.
Why it matters
The project brings the biology of simple organisms like algae and lichen to a public audience through immersive media. It reflects a collaboration between artists and scientists, with support from the University's Research & Innovation office.
The installation's gigapixel macro photographs stitch hundreds to thousands of microscopic images into single high-resolution prints on Japanese paper, and its recreated cladonia sculptures are about a foot tall. The extraction does not report visitor counts or any measured outcomes from the showings.
The players
University of Minnesota
A public research university in the Twin Cities whose Research & Innovation office supported the project as part of a 2025 artist-in-residence award.
Diane Willow
An artist who collaborated with fellow creators on the installation's participatory art pieces.
Daniel Keefe
A computer science researcher who helped bring microscopic scans into virtual reality for the project.
The details
The installation, titled "Slow * Flexible * Everywhere," is a suite of improvised participatory art pieces in dialogue with science. It features high-speed video of lichen moving and hydrating when exposed to water, alongside a separate room of artistic recreations of the organisms.
Timeline
Thursday: Installation hosted at the Regis Center for Art.
Nov. 18: Second showing at the Ecology Building, St. Paul Campus.
Big Picture
The project is a 2025 artist-in-residence award output from the University of Minnesota's Research & Innovation office, extending that program's effort to pair art with ongoing scientific research. It sits within a broader pattern of university-backed collaborations that use immersive media to present biological subjects to the public.
Visitors to the Nov. 18 showing at the Ecology Building can view the installation's virtual reality and sculptural pieces in person. The work offers a direct look at how lichen hydrates and moves, which is otherwise visible only under microscopes.
The takeaway
Simple organisms like algae and lichen can be studied through both scientific imaging and artistic interpretation. The installation shows how gigapixel photography and virtual reality can make microscopic biology accessible to general audiences.
What happens next
A second showing of the installation is scheduled at the Ecology Building on Nov. 18.
Further reading
Explore more on Botany to see how plant-like organisms such as algae and lichen are studied in the Saint Paul area.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Minnesota Daily.
