Genetic Moo is a collaboration between creative coding couple Nicola Schauerman and Tim Pickup. They create large-scale interactive installations for museums and galleries. Their art encourages experimentation and play and is inspired by popular science, particularly ecology, artificial life and evolution.
Since 2013, Genetic Moo has been working on Microworld, an ambitious digital ecosystem project. Microworlds are immersive art spaces filled with digital creatures with life cycles and survival techniques and which respond to visitors using sensors. Visitors can interact with the creatures or design their own. Microworld is produced by Lumen Art Projects and has been shown around the world in Europe, the USA, the Middle East and Asia. In the last five years, over 350,000 people have engaged in a Microworld.
Genetic Moo has won numerous grants, awards and commissions worldwide. Their exhibitions include SKMU, Norway; Ithra, Dhahran; The Science Centre, Singapore; Eureka! Halifax; LABoral, Gijon; Kinetica, London; ICC Open Sky Gallery, Hong Kong; Dreamland, Margate; Glastonbury and The Wellcome Collection.
Genetic Moo works closely with Lumen Art Projects, Marine Studios and sound artist Julia Schauerman and is a member of the art collective The London Group.
Genetic Moo is based in Margate and has worked with the following local organisations: Dreamland; Turner Contemporary; GEEK; Margate Festival; Open School East; The Margate School; POW Thanet and lots of others.
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EXHIBITIONS / 2020-2023
Solo Shows
- to be announced Microworld at The Amelia Scott, Royal Tunbridge Wells, 30 May-3 Sept 2023
- to be announced Microworld at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Wolverhampton, 22 Jul-28 Aug 2023
- Microworld: Lincoln The Collection Lincoln & Usher Gallery, 9 Jul–2 Oct 2022
- Biocybernetic Universal System Tendency (B.U.S.T.) online multiplayer ecological art game a Phoenix at Home commission, live till 2023
- Daisyworld online and gallery exhibition at Phoenix, Leicester, 7 Jan-20 Feb 2022 (see awards)
- Virtual Microworld on SKMU Virtual, Jul-ongoing
- Microworld Kristiansand, Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Norway, May-Oct 2021
- Multiple at Kristiansand Airport, Norway, July-Sept 2021
- Microworld Eckert Art Gallery, Millersville University, Pennsylvania, Jan-Mar 2020
- Microworld Ithra The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, Dhahran, Oct-Jan 2020
Group Shows and events
- InterPlaces, AR works for public art in the Art Spaces, Inc. collection, Terre Haute, Indiana, May 2022-May 2023
- The London Group at Bankside, London SE1, 24 Nov-5 Dec 2022
- Once Upon A Planet, Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle, 25 Jun-10 Sep 2022
- Reflection, The Cello Factory, London, Oct 2021
- In the Dark III: Being There The London Group @ Waterloo Festival, London, Jun 2021
- Women in Tech panel talk, POW (Power of Women Festival), Mar 2021
- Introducing Microworld, Lumen IGTV, 28 Feb 2021
- The Annual online, The London Group, Oct-Nov 2020
- [email protected] in SparkleVerse at Burning Man, Aug-Sept 2020
- [email protected] at Alternative Art Education (Slow) Marathon, hosted by Conway Hall, July 2020
- Seiren Quarterly, Issue One: HORROR, Jun-Jul 2020
- In the Dark II: Even Darker The London Group & Friends, The Cello Factory, London, Jan 2020
[email protected] / between Mar 2020 and Jan 2021, we live-broadcast 25 2-hour programmes on our YouTube channel. The programmes documented our digital ecosystem experiments and virtual collaborations with Julia Schauerman, Stephen Carley, Sean Clark, Simon Rae, Jonathan Armour, David Viey, Eva Pascoe, Ed Kelly & Simon Limbrick, Sandra Crisp, Svetlana Ochkovskaya, Zachary Aghaizu, Jockel Liess, David Theobald, The Computer Art Society, Spare Tyre, The SparkleVerse, Millersville University PA and the alternative art education community.
GRANTS & AWARDS
- Daisyworld an Art Game commission exploring ecology and the Anthropocene leading to a gallery and online exhibition at Phoenix, Leicester, Jan to Feb 2022
- Artists in Virtual Residence at SKMU Virtual, organised by Sørlandets Kunstmuseum (SKMU) in collaboration with Lumen Art Projects. Virtual Microworld was created as a parallel online exhibition to Microworld Kristiansand with support from Biome Collective 2021
- ACE National Lottery Project Grant, making Microworld Covid-secure 2020
- Margate Festival funding. NOW digital 2019
- ACE Grants for the Arts, NOW digital, Margate Festival 2019
- Digital Artists in Residence Dreamland, Margate, 2018-2019
- KCC Arts Investment Fund for UPSTAGE 2017
- Spare Tyre seed funding, for UPSTAGE 2017
- Winner Kent Creative Award Audio-Visual prize 2016
- ISEA2016 Open Sky Project, ICC Tower urban media screen Hong Kong, Official Selection 2016
- ACE Grants for the Arts, Microworld Kinetica, Kinetica Art Fair 2014
- Founder’s Prize Lumen Prize 2013
- The Erotic Awards, Best Artist finalist, 2012
- The London Group Open, Newcomer Prize winner, 2009
- Eurographics The John Lansdown Award for Interactive Digital Art, 2nd prize, 2007
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EXHIBITIONS cont./ 2008-2019
2019
- NOW digital 10-day festival curated by Genetic Moo for Margate Festival, Oct
- Microworld OSE Associates Open Day, Open School East, 21st Jul
- Self-Service Waterloo Festival, Jun
- Metamorphosis Waterloo Festival, Jun
- Drawing Distinctions The London Group, London April
- Dreamland’s Artist-In-Residence video: Underwater City on Youtube, Feb
- half term residency and Late Night Live Turner Contemporary, Feb
- Dreamland’s Artist-In-Residence video: Parades & Cascades on Youtube, Jan
- In the Dark The London Group and Friends, London, Jan
2018
- Dreamland’s Artist-In-Residence video: Introducing Genetic Moo! on Youtube, Dec
- Microworld Beijing at ITEC2018, International Tinkering Education Conference, Beijing, Oct
- Apocalypse NOW! Margate Festival, Sept (solo show)
- Drawing Distinctions, The London Group, Furlong Gallery, Wisconsin Sept-Oct
- The London Group at St Ives, Penwith Gallery, Sept
- Altered States, Waterloo Festival, Jun
- Microworld Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, Halifax, May-Nov (solo show)
- Microworld Brecon at Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon, May-Jun (solo show)
- GEEK 2018, Dreamland, Margate, Feb
- Down from London, The London Group, Linden Hall Studio, Deal, Feb
- Battle of Blister, made in collaboration with Dr Neil Dufton (Imperial College), Silent Signal world tour 2016-18. An Animate Projects commission supported by the Wellcome Trust.
2017
- The London Group Open 2017 London, Nov
- Love-in-idleness 20-21 Visual Arts Scunthorpe, Oct-Jan 2018 (solo show)
- Inspiration Inclusive Theatre, UPSTAGE, Theatre Royal Margate, Sep 30th
- Logopolis, Travel Unravelled Watermans Art Centre London, July-Aug
- Microworld Singapore, Geek-Play Maker Faire @ Science Centre Singapore, July
- The London Group and Friend’s Sculpture Trail Shoreham Village, Jun
- The Mesh The London Group, Watermans Arts Centre, Mar-May
- Perpetual Motion Machine workshops, Dreamland, Margate, Jun
- Personal Relations The Hague + Vicenza, Curated by hARTslane, Feb-Jun
- GEEK 2017 Dreamland, Margate, Feb
- Folkestone Fringe‘s Profound Sound Festival, Quarterhouse, Folkestone, Feb
- Monsters of the Machine LABoral, Gijon, Nov-Aug
2016
- A Cybernetic Ecology show with Sean Clark, Leicester, Dec
- NEoN Digital Arts Festival Dundee, Nov
- Microworld Cardiff 3 at ArcadeCardiff, part of Cardiff Contemporary, Oct
- Papa Gyro Nights Nomad’s Museum Europe, Sept-Nov
- The Octoscope of Margate, Margate Festival, Sept
- Microworld Leicester, WotSPACE, Aug
- Peski Nacht 006, Peski Records Cardiff, Jun
- Open Sky Gallery ICC Tower, ISEA2016, Hong Kong, May
- Papay Gyro Nights Madrid, Orkney & Hong Kong, Jan-Apr
- Bits & Bytes Dreamland, Margate, Feb
2015
- The London Group Open 2015, London
- Connect the Dots, Sheffield
- Become Your Own Tribe, Margate Summer Festival
- Blister Cinema 3, Limbo Art Space, Margate (solo show)
- sonADA, Sonic Art festival, Glasgow
- Switched On, The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge, Canterbury
- Beyond the Interface, Furtherfield, London
- Blister Cinema 2, ArcadeCardiff, Cardiff (solo show)
- Blister Cinema 1, GEEK 2015, Margate (solo show)
2014
- Microworld Kinetica, Kinetica Art Fair, London
- The New Sublime, Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton
- Beyond the Interface, ISMAR 2014, Munich
- From David Bomberg to Paula Rego – The London Group, Southampton City Art Gallery
- Microworld Hong Kong, The Lumen Prize Exhibition, The Space, Hong Kong
- Microworld Cardiff 2, ArcadeCardiff, Cardiff
- Dreamland, The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge, Canterbury
- The Lumen Prize Exhibition, Triangle Space UAL, London
- Digital Zoo Tour curated by Furtherfield, various
- Oslo Screen Festival, Sweden
- Microworld Papay Gyro Nights, Papa Westray, Orkney
2013
- Potluck #9, The Beaney, Canterbury
- Microworld Margate, Marine Studios, Margate
- Made in Roath Festival, Cardiff
- Microworld Arcadia, ArcadeCardiff, Cardiff
- The London Group Centenary, Pitzhanger Manor, London
- GEEK 2013, Margate
2012
- Symbiotic, The Cube Gallery, Phoenix Leicester
- Papay Gyro Nights programme, Belgrade Art Fair, Serbia
- WWW: World Wild Web, Furtherfield Gallery, London
- Dickensian Hauntings, Illumini, London
- 700IS, Egilsstadir, Iceland
- Papay Gyro Nights 2012, Papa-Westray, Orkney
2011
- Shangri-La Zone, Glastonbury
- You are not in control, Netil House, London
- Microbes and Me activity day at The Wellcome Collection, London
- Papay Gyro Nights 2011, Papa-Westray, Orkney
2010
- Cryptmas, Illumini, St Pancras Church, London
- Curiouser & curiouser, Old Vic Tunnels, London
- Unleashed Devices, Watermans, London
- Secret Subterranean, Illumini, Shoreditch, London
- Is It Over, Dalston bunker show, London
- I Believe…, Red Velvet Curtain Cult, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea
2009
- The London Group Open, The Menier Gallery, London
- EMBED, The Camberwell Space, London
- Transition, The Bargehouse, South Bank, London
- Quantifying Play, Jago Gallery, London
2008
- Collision 08, Area 10 Project Space, London
- () RE | BOOT; Area 10 Project Space, London
- Electric Blue, The Bargehouse, London