Cycles are everywhere and on every level. A cycle has a period in which a series of events happen. These series of events are in a certain order and repeat. The system in which a cycle operates evolves (often due to these cycles). This means that while the events are reoccurring, the environment changes. The second law of thermodynamics summarizes this as follows: The amount of disorder in a system either increases or remains constant in any spontaneous process; it never decreases.

The project headsUp shows the cycle of human life, from being born to the decomposition of the body. HeadsUp draws on the vast diversity of micro-organisms to present this cycle. The project connects the life cycle of humans with the life cycle of a micro-organism population. Agar is used to create baby heads, which are then used to cultivate microorganisms. In the beginning, these micro-organisms are not visible, leaving a bald baby head. When they first begin to grow, the various fungus and bacteria mimic the hair, eyes, and other features of the head. This results in a mature face. As time passes, the microorganisms will overgrow the head, resulting in its disintegration.

The project’s purpose is to amaze the audience with the beauty and diversity of the microbe kingdom. The project also shows the inevitability of mounting disorder. By putting this mounting disorder in the setting of a human life, I hope it will provoke the audience to embrace their own chaos.

The project is divided into two key parts: the creation of the agar heads and the isolation of the micro-organisms used in the project. The progress of these two sections can be found here. The protocols used in this project are shown here.