In order to underline the metabolical statement, an experiment with a living biotope, inspired by Eduardo Kacís installation 'Specimen of Secrecy about Marvellous Discoveries' (Kac, 2004/06) will be set up and hopefully integrated in a final installation that allows different individuals to take part.
http://www.ekac.org/specimen.html
What sort of 'biotope' could I set up, what sort of living organisms shall I use, which ones would underline the idea of the mask processes, daily actions wit our environment, etc... and which organisms would I actually be able to collect and grow?
By doing some research I came across this website:
http://www.microbialart.com/2011/01/microbiota/
"Microbiota is a photographic installation that maps bacterial life in the city of Kingston. Blending microbiological protocols with artistic vision, the artist reveals invisible yet ubiquitous aspects of our shared environments. This collection of bacterial photographs from various locations in Kingston were sampled, cultured and photographed during the summer of 2010, and aims to raise public awareness of the unseen bacterial environment around us."
(Julia Krolik, 2010)
What are Microbes?
microbe (noun)
a microorganism, esp. a bacterium causing disease or fermentation.
ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from French, from Greek mikros 'little' + bios 'live' (dict.)
A microorganism; also spelt micro-organism, micro organismor microbe is an organism that is unicellular or lives in a colony of cellular organisms.
Microorganisms are very diverse; they include bacteria, fungi, archaea, and protists; microscopic plants (green algae); and animals such as plankton and the planarian.
Microorganisms live in all parts of the biosphere where there is liquid water, including soil, hot springs, on the ocean floor, high in the atmosphere and deep inside rocks within the Earthís crust. Microorganisms are critical to nutrient recycling in ecosystems as they act as decomposers. As some microorganisms can fix nitrogen, they are a vital part of the nitrogen cycle, and recent studies indicate that airborne microbes may play a role in precipitation and weather.[4]
Microbes are also exploited by people in biotechnology, both in traditional food and beverage preparation, and in modern technologies based on genetic engineering. However, pathogenic microbes are harmful, since they invade and grow within other organisms, causing diseases that kill people, other animals and plants. (wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microorganism
If microbes are on us, in us, around us, they are part of our shared everyday environment, why not use them and their character to reveal our interactions with life.
How can I collect them?
How can I cultivate them?
Will need a contact to a microbiologist...
How can I document them and incorporate into my project?
Insructions: http://www.scienceenterprises.com/growingbacteria.aspx
material I need for a start:
petri dishes_nutrient agar as medium_iodine solution (an antibacterial)_sterile cotton swabs_sterile distilled water for dry surfaces_chicken/vegetable/beef broth or other rich media.
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