Quorum: A Manifesto for the Living World – Film

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Quorum: A Manifesto for the Living World (2025) is a short film developed to communicate the potential impact of the Quorum R&D project. It weaves together the implicit relationships uncovered by the project, where human flourishing is contingent on more-than-human intelligences.

Set across a farm, a kitchen, and a lab, the story follows pioneering research in microbial dyes transforming local waste into colour. Through these interwoven networks of pigment production rooted in shared soil, a world unearths: one of living systems and human design coming together to reconnect colour production with ecologies it grows from.

The title refers to the molecular signals that transform individual microbes into coordinated collective behaviour—and to its civic roots: the vital threshold where individual voices converge into collective force, making action not only possible but inevitable.

The narrative weaves insights from across the project ecosystem, spanning Faber Futures Founder, Natsai Audrey Chieza; Joe Price, the CEO & Founder of Evolutor, a company focused on harnessing the power of evolution for a holistic approach to microbe optimisation; Douglas McMaster, the founder of Silo, a pioneering zero-waste restaurant redefining circularity in food systems; Chris Haigh, Farm Manager at GROW Farm, an agroecological farm and charity that champions sustainable food production. Born from a workshop inviting reflection, dreaming, and dialogue across disciplines, the poetic manifesto has become a catalyst for shared understanding of the regenerative bioeconomy—clarifying its principles and strengthening cross-sector collaboration toward a circular, sustainable future.

At its heart, Quorum is a testament to the power of collaboration as nature’s foundational blueprint, embodying the potential for both ecosystem and economic renewal.