MESH Studio: Biotopy

MESH Studio within DAL serves as a playground for experiments and collaborations with researchers, focusing on emerging technologies. Our goal is to make frontier research accessible and relatable to the public through playful and interactive installations and other forms of media.

Biotopy is one of the cohort research projects that we've been incubating. It is a biotic game demo and art installation exploring bio-digital Symbiocine. Using a Pioreactor-based engine, players grow microbial cultures to terraform a virtual planet. The team, with expertise in synthetic biology, game design, and music, explores how biotic agents interact with virtual universes.

About the Presenters

Darren Zhu is a synthetic biologist building a new consumer therapeutics startup. A graduate of Yale and a former Thiel Fellow, Darren has worked with a range of biotech startups (Hexagon Bio, Enevolv, and Synbiosys) and research organizations (Berggruen Institute, Ethereum Foundation, and Gates Foundation). He is also developing new media and philosophy projects that explore the aesthetic and epistemic implications of generative models, particularly as they pertain to creativity and scientific discovery.

Will Freudenheim is a New York-based game designer creating experimental games and virtual worlds. He co-founded Laser Days, where he directs films, live performances, and installations that have premiered globally. His work explores collaboration among human, artificial, and biological participants in shared digital spaces.

Wendi Yan is an artist and researcher combining folktales with speculative philosophy in simulations, film, and sculpture. A History of Science graduate from Princeton University and recipient of the Horace H. Wilson Thesis Prize, her work has been supported by the Arctic Circle Residency, Berggruen Institute, and Ethereum Foundation. Based in Los Angeles, Wendi is a Steve Jobs Archive Fellow and VH Award finalist, with features in WeTransfer and Wallpaper.

Michelle Huang is a mixed-media artist and technologist exploring human flourishing through immersive experiences. She is the founder of Akiya Collective, a non-profit renovating abandoned homes in Japan, and director of MESH Studio, a media lab for emerging technologies. A graduate of NYU, she previously worked at Goldman Sachs and received an Emergent Ventures grant. Her work has been featured on Business Insider, NPR, Vox Media (Now This), ABC, CNET, The Independent, BBC, and more