Swarm at Science Gallery Melbourne

The earth’s population is the largest it’s ever been (7.9 billion people to be precise), with many of us living in a growing network of cities across the globe. We are increasingly connected by technology and social media, which we use to share our lives across oceans in milliseconds, crowdsource ideas, digitise workforces and take part in global political movements.

From Saturday August 13, Science Gallery Melbourne presents Swarm, an exhibition that looks into the essence of human behaviour and what drives our need to be social. Swarm considers collective activity in not only humans, but in swarms of insects and the murmuration of birds, all the way down to molecular movements invisible to the naked eye. And then there’s the realm of technology, with swarm algorithms driving possible futures of drones and nanorobots that challenge the essence of what it means to be human.

Dive into the science and art behind the idea of the pack, with a series of events and programs that will be on display until December. Visitors are encouraged to reflect on their part in the collective: are you part of the swarm, or do you go against the current?

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Science Gallery Melbourne.