Eden by Jon McCormack

Eden is an interactive, self-generating, artificial ecosystem installation active from 2004–2012. McCormack created artificial creatures that inhabited a virtual world governed by minimal physics, seeking survival through adaptation and learning. These beings exhibited complex behaviors such as foraging, communication and hibernation in response to seasonal changes and human presence. Projected onto floating screens, the creatures interacted within a translucent, immersive space, blurring distinctions between reality and simulation. Audience interaction influences the ecosystem, as the presence of viewers sustains the creatures' food supply. Over time, a symbiotic relationship between audience and artwork emerges, shaping the evolution of the virtual ecosystem and highlighting the interconnectedness of art, technology and human engagement. The system was mentioned by Phil Galanter as a prime example of generative artificial life.