A THIN MEMBRANE - A PELLICLE
“With the point of departure in natural dyeing, I examine various types of fermentation processes, cultures of microorganism and the manner in which my body affects and participates with them, over time. What drives my work forward is a fascination and curiosity for the non-human bodies that the human bodies live in symbiosis with. How do we communicate with the creatures that form such a crucial part of us? What happens if we change our perspective into a post-humanistic point of view where the boundaries between nature/culture, mind/body, human/animal fusions together? What happens if we stop thinking the world circulates around the human species and confess the essential of other body’s existence?
Lately in my artistic research I’ve been exploring and growing a cellulose-based biofilm. It’s a specific bacterial strain called gluconoacetobacter that in the right environment produce cellulose when it’s consuming the nutrients it’s surrounded by. After just 2 days of growing you can see this gelatinous-like pellicle appearing on the surface.
What fascinates me with Biofilms is that they exist everywhere around us and in us. The biofilm is a complex matrix that protects the microorganism from environmental hazards. It can be composed by one single bacterial species but a diverse community of microorganisms can also form biofilm.
What fascinates me with Biofilms is that they exist everywhere around us and in us. The biofilm is a complex matrix that protects the microorganism from environmental hazards. It can be composed by one single bacterial species but a diverse community of microorganisms can also form biofilm.
Biofilm can grow on medical devices in our bodies, on our teeth, on rocks, underwater and it’s even been found growing on minerals and metals. The bacteria living in this protective biofilm can more easily and faster swap genes with each other, which means that if one is resistant against antibiotics it doesn’t take long time until other bacteria in the biofilm becomes resistant too. They can also swap genes with free-living bacterial cells passing by. Biofilm formation is also common for most pathogenic bacteria (bacteria that can cause infections), which means it’s a serious concern for the health of this planet and the humanity. If we think about the amount of chemical pollution e.g. in our oceans or in the meat industry, and how fast bacteria can swap genes with each other - It just makes me terrified.
In this installation I’ve been exploring the biofilm in relation to the process of indigo. Over time you can follow how the biofilm is growing and how the color is changing in the glass-tubes depending on the environment. Even if it’s dry (as the sculpture presented in the middle of the room) it’s still changing over time. The biofilm is always in motion and constantly in transformation. Just like all other living processes - just like all other human or non-human bodies.
In this installation I’ve been exploring the biofilm in relation to the process of indigo. Over time you can follow how the biofilm is growing and how the color is changing in the glass-tubes depending on the environment. Even if it’s dry (as the sculpture presented in the middle of the room) it’s still changing over time. The biofilm is always in motion and constantly in transformation. Just like all other living processes - just like all other human or non-human bodies.