Ringmind is an arts-humanities-science research project on the self-organising powers of planetary rings.  The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between Sociology, Physics and the School of Computing and Communication at Lancaster University and independent digital artists, and is funded by Arts Council England and Lancaster University.

Research team:

• Bronislaw Szerszynski (PI – sociologist and geophilosopher, Lancaster University)
• Chris Arridge (Co-I, astrophysicist, Lancaster University)
• Leandro Soriano Marcolino (Co-I, swarm AI researcher, Lancaster University)
• Tony Doyle (Co-I, digital spatial audio artist)
• Ashley James Brown (Co-I, digital visual artist)
• Thomas Cann (research assistant, artificial intelligence and planetary ring dynamics)
• Sam Hinson (research assistant, artificial intelligence and planetary ring dynamics)

Advisory group:

• Carl Murray (astrophysicist, Queen Mary University of London)
• Andy Adamatzky (unconventional computing, University of the West of England)
• Maxigas (unconventional computing, Lancaster University)

The project is exploring the dynamics of matter under orbital conditions.  In particular, it focuses on planetary ring systems such as those orbiting the gas-giant planet Saturn, in which the huge numbers of ring particles, the very long timescales involved, and the conservation of momentum in vacuum conditions means that simple interactions due to gravity and collisions result in highly complex emergent patterns and structures on a range of spatial and temporal scales.

It is also exploring the benefits of bringing arts and humanities approaches to understanding astrophysical phenomena. The project will create an immersive, time-based performance event, using physics simulation, artificial swarm intelligence, live coding, spoken word, 2D visuals and 3D audio. This will be premiered during the event Life Forms, at the Haus der Kulturen Der Welt, Berlin, 25-27 April 2019, and later taken to UK events and venues such as the Full Of Noises Festival, Barrow-in-Furness, 17–18 August 2019. The goal is to give the audience the visual and aural experience of being immersed within a fictional planetary ring system, presented as a huge evolving structure that can respond ‘intelligently’ to perturbation. Digital sonic and visual techniques will be used to explore questions about the powers of simple matter to self-organise, and the nature of mind and consciousness.

Out of this interdisciplinary collaboration the team aim to produce peer-reviewed articles in both social science and physical science journals, and develop an externally-funded research project application.