Marshmallow Laser Feast - Where Do I End and Begin

(MLF) is an experiential artist collective that believes in the power of stories to tickle the senses and shift perceptions. Their work takes audiences on multisensory journeys where imagination and information collide.

Comprising coders, poets, chemists, ventriloquists, and collaborators from brands to institutions, MLF explores new forms of culture, interrogates our relationship with the world around us, and leaves a glittery slug trail as they journey through the cosmos.

They create stories that untangle, entangle, and flavor reality — blurring the lines between art, immersive experiences, XR, and film. Their work comes alive in galleries, museums, public spaces, parks, nature reserves, and the metaverse. Grounded in research, it carves out space to expose, explore, and expand our connection with the living world.

MLF has exhibited internationally at institutions including ACMI, Barbican Centre, YCAM, DDB Seoul, Sundance Film Festival, Factory International, Quartier des Spectacles in Montréal, SXSW, Phi Centre, and the Lisbon Architectural Triennale. Their work has been featured in renowned publications such as The Guardian, New Scientist, Wired, Independent, Creative Review, and more.

Barnaby Steel, artist and creative director of MLF, centers his practice on the senses — inviting audiences into states of expanded perception where the boundaries between bodies blur. His work is deeply rooted in scientific observation, using it as a window to look through and beyond human experience to understand complexities hidden from the naked eye. Barnaby’s art steps outside the human-centered worldview, exploring the threads that weave us into relationship with the more-than-human world.

With support from Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum and the Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society.

This project was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan.

Series presenting partners: Detroit PBS, ALL ARTS, and PBS Books. Media partner: Michigan Public.

Host or Publisher Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series - University of Michigan