Microbial Art Collaborations

Ex-Utero Collective (Cristin Millett, Cynthia White, and Ionat Zurr)

Interactive mixed media acrylic sculpture with live feed of a corrosion cast placenta

"Ex-Utero" is an artistic and scientific inquiry into the future of human reproduction and probes the biological and sociopolitical possibilities of ectogenesis, the development of the embryo outside the uterus. In consultation with microbiologist Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, we are currently considering the implications of the absence of a microbiome for neonates “born” from an artificial womb. This scenario

would be much like that of a cesarian birth in which the baby is not introduced to critical vaginal microbiota during birth. Known to play a critical role in establishing the baby’s own gut microbiome and potentially impacting the development of a healthy immune system, today, cesarian birthed babies can be re-seeded with their maternal vaginal microbiota. In ectogenesis, with synthetic wombs and mechanical placentas how would we culture and colonize neonates with beneficial microbes?

Andrew Hieronymi

CONTACT is an installation game about motion, interaction, perception,
and the aesthetic sensation of coordinated skill. The game has evolved into a collaboration with OHMC's Estelle Couradeau and Chad Fautt, who are exploring ways to adapt the gaming experience to emulate bacterial community behavior and explore the patience required to view microbes under a microscope.

Input device design and production: Tom Lauerman, Sound design: Woohun Joo, Sensor enclosure: Mark Risso

CONTACT was made possible by a grant from the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State University

Made with Processing and Arduino

Daryl Branford, Talley Fisher, Seth Bordenstein, Sarah Bordenstein

The Wolbachia Wall is an interactive installation allowing hands-on exploration of different topics relating to the endosymbiotic bacteria, Wolbachia pipientis, including the mechanisms of its use for mosquito-borne disease control. The installation encourages viewers to touch different areas on the wall to learn about topics that interest them.

Benay Gürsoy and Felecia Davis

Led by co-PIs Felecia Davis and Benay Gürsoy, the project explores using mycelium-based and knitted textiles to form a sustainable building material. The creation of “MycoKnit” as a concept began through a collaboration between Davis’ SOFTLAB and Gürsoy’s ForMat Lab to create a lightweight material for biodegradable architectural structures.

Project Team: Pennsylvania State University, Department of Architecture , Paniz Farrokhsiar, Parachi Masown, Alale Mohseni; Material Science and Engineering, Katy Gerace, PhD; Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, John Pecchia, PhD; Texas Tech University, Huckabee College of Architecture, Ali Ghazvinian, PhD, Tahmures Ghiyasi, Louisiana State University, College of Art and Design, Farzaneh Oghazian, PhD; North Carolina State University, Wilson College of Textiles, Andre West, PhD, Jenna DeCandio

Developed with funds from The SOM Foundation Research Prize 2021 and support from The Stuckeman Center for Design Computing.

Pep Avilés, Laia Celma, Cynthia White and Mary Ann Bruns

This artwork is from a larger body of work called Sentinel Lands: The Geospace of Mine fires, 2022 which explores the long-term spatial and ecological consequences of extraction economies and their impact on climate change and the built environment. The project was site specific to Centralia, PA where a devastating mine fire changed the course of a community and the local ecology where the fire still burns. This photographic series explores the growth of microbial communities in soil samples from bore holes in Centralia, PA. Sentinel Lands was exhibited in 2022 at the Penn State Stuckeman School’s Rouse Gallery as part of the school’s Lecture and Exhibit Series.

Collaborator and consultant: Mary Ann Bruns, Professor of Soil Microbiology and Biogeochemistry

Macrobes for Microbes at Penn State is a student-led outreach organization for the microbial sciences. They are currently working on several art projects used as educational outreach tools to inform and inspire others about the fascinating world of microbes. For example, they created infographics in a comic-book format on topics like soil microbes, as well as a set of superhero trading cards for different microorganisms. The group also utilizes Winogradsky columns as a teaching tool to demonstrate ecological interactions between microbes in soil.