We are at any time surrounded by billions of microbes, invisible to the human eye. Most of them are not dangerous or even beneficial to us, but some can cause fatal diseases. My series of photographs are a visual study of this invisible world: portraits of bacteria and fungi.
The samples were collected at 15 different locations, from public places to my own hand. Rather than "painting" a path for the microbes to grow on, they were deliberately left to form their own shapes and patterns. Depending on where the first particles of a colony fall, random and highly diverse structures can form. There is a little more to the process, the details of which remain my secret. ;-) Many factors contribute to the outcome of the experiment, for example the environment where a culture is grown in. While so-called aerobic organisms thrive in an oxygen-rich atmosphere, anaerobes cannot survive in such an environment. Some organisms reproduce faster than others. And different microbes need different growth mediums. Temperature also affects the results. This is why Microbial Portraits are not an objective look at the microcosm. To stress the artistic aspect the individual photos don't have labels. However, if you are curious about where the samples were taken from, here is a list:
The work could be seen at the Düsseldorf Photo festival in February 2018. It was shown both as high-resolution prints and as a photobook. Thanks to everyone who took the time to visit the exhibition! If you didn't get a chance to see my work in person you can contact me for a signed copy of my book.
We are at any time surrounded by billions of microbes, invisible to the human eye. Most of them are not dangerous or even beneficial to us, but some can cause fatal diseases. My series of photographs are a visual study of this invisible world: portraits of bacteria and fungi.
The samples were collected at 15 different locations, from public places to my own hand. Rather than "painting" a path for the microbes to grow on, they were deliberately left to form their own shapes and patterns. Depending on where the first particles of a colony fall, random and highly diverse structures can form. There is a little more to the process, the details of which remain my secret. ;-) Many factors contribute to the outcome of the experiment, for example the environment where a culture is grown in. While so-called aerobic organisms thrive in an oxygen-rich atmosphere, anaerobes cannot survive in such an environment. Some organisms reproduce faster than others. And different microbes need different growth mediums. Temperature also affects the results. This is why Microbial Portraits are not an objective look at the microcosm. To stress the artistic aspect the individual photos don't have labels. However, if you are curious about where the samples were taken from, here is a list:
The work could be seen at the Düsseldorf Photo festival in February 2018. It was shown both as high-resolution prints and as a photobook. Thanks to everyone who took the time to visit the exhibition! If you didn't get a chance to see my work in person you can contact me for a signed copy of my book.