Flocks, Swarms and Ant Colony Optimisation Algorithms

Researching our starting point 'Larval Sac', led me onto the idea of community and organisation. The cyclical nature of life in an insect colony where the larval sac is a stage relying fully on the organisation and success of the community created by other members of the colony. This then led to the idea of the swarm, and swarm intelligence, separate elements combining to form a unit and the idea of Stigmergy; a mechanism of indirect co-ordination between agents or actions. In the ant colony, ants initially wander randomly in search of food. When a food source is located, they lay down a trail as they return to the colony. Less effective routes fade as the swarm concentrates on the optimal path and the effective route is strengthened. This has prompted a series of mixed media drawings. In progress, will follow shortly....