Microuniverse
Focussing on the design and engineering of synthetic biological systems, Tal Danino and Soonhee Moon of the Danino Lab highlight the symbiotic relationships we have to each other and the complex, invisible world of bacteria.
words – tal danino and soonhee moon
location – new york city, usa
To resolve is to take a course of action. This is often seen in the collaboration between humans and their microbes, as well as between bacteria at an invisible level. Our daily routines and actions affect bacteria in and on our bodies, and in turn, they compete with one another for space and resources at a microscopic level. In Microuniverse and Coexistence, we unify scientific and artistic practices to control and encourage bacterial cohabitation on petri dishes. The emergent bacteria community resolves into patterns and are then dried and placed into slides, or sealed to reveal a suspended narrative of their once complex lives.
In Micouniverse, single bacteria species are used as living organisms that act as resolute collaborators. With the passage of time, their morphologies constantly grow and change, strategising their next steps based on their environmental conditions or changes in their genetic makeup. As viewed in their frozen state, each new iteration demonstrates the widening possibilities of patterns they form, which appear to be unpredictable and unique.
Negotiating with bacteria is a complicated dance; they often appear to be an entity that is easily manipulated, but reveal themselves to be calculating in their own biochemical inclinations. Coexistence goes further, examining how bacterial communities organise, respond through metabolic interactions, compete for resources amongst themselves and mobilise. These bacterial lawns help identify the robustness of various species, and highlight preservation strategies.
Bacteria are crafty, often adapting to harsh environments, and can develop antibiotic resistance. Bacillus Subtilis strains are able to form spores that can survive dehydration by replacing water with a more resilient acidic solution. This results in their physical morphologies being wrinkled in order to combat osmotic stress, with their resulting patterns revealing their journeys. In this way, both Microuniverse and Coexistence moves towards unforeseeable directions, all while hoping to capture beauty in its iteratively resolved state.
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