Mephisto and the Extremophile is a VR journey to the edge of scientific knowledge, inviting people to experience the contested origins of life deep inside the Earth. The story shifts between human, bacterial, geological and machinic perspectives to unravel scientific mysteries about extremophiles, creatures that thrive without any sunlight in extreme temperatures and pressures. These organisms look nothing like what scientists thought life might look like, but they could hold the key to re-situating human life in the universe and changing how we relate to the natural world.

Developed through The FLAMIN Fellowship with the support of Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network (FLAMIN) and Arts Council England.

Find out more about Calum Bowden