Some rather marvellous art made with the bioluminescent bacterium Photobacterium phosphoreum. Made by this year’s BMS1035 Practical and Biomedical Students from the University of Surrey.

The blue pigmented bacterium Arthrobacter polychromogenes, as equally beautiful growing on an agar plate, as it is as a living fabric design/pigment.

Before incubation

Before incubation

Before incubation

After incubation

After incubation

After incubation

The dyes on these textile samples have been generated by the activity of the bacteria from my own microbiome. The process involves the use of chromogens which are commonly used in bacteriology for the convenient identification of bacteria. Essentially, chromogens are colourless compounds which become brightly coloured (here, blue, pink, black and purple) when certain types of bacteria interact with them.

The idea behind this project is to highlight the importance of the human microbiome, a massively complex microbial ecosystem of some 100 trillion or so microorganisms that live on the body and which has recently been shown to have profound influence on our health and even mental well-being. These are test swatches and the final outcome will be a brightly coloured and wearable garment in which the colours and designs are a result of the activities of my own microbiome.

I like the fact that I only have limited control over the final design,  as the bacteria used impart their own and usually hidden narrative to the work, as they move through the fabric and interact with it, and each other.

These are by Poulomi Desai and are from Anna Dumitriu’s BioArt workshop taking place at Watermans Art Centre as as part of The Romantic Disease events.

Poulomi printed out these images placed them onto a microbiological kitchen agar that I developed a while ago (a medium that allows the growth of many microorganisms and which can be prepared simply from ingredients purchased at many supermarkets.

The images have been transformed, and colonized by,  life forms of real importance and hidden influence, that is the Earth’s microorganisms.

I find them quite disturbing and funny in equal measure.

These are bacteria from my personal microbiome and thus, they are small part of the 100 trillion or so  microorganisms that live in my gut, mouth, skin and elsewhere. The total number of genes in my “second”  microbial genome exceeds the number of my human genes by a factor of 100-to-one.

I’m starting a project to colour my own micobiome so that I might paint, print or colour textiles with it. The processes uses chromogens.  These are colourless compounds that become brightly coloured when bacteria act upon them. So far I have made pink, blue, black and metallic black with members of my normal bacterial flora. I’m liking the idea of a living black ink made from it. Here are purified streaks of coloured bacteria that I have collected so far.

C-MOULD the unique collection of cultures for use in art and biodesign is pleased to announce its latest acquistion, Arthrobacter polychromogenes, which produces the blue pigment indigoidine. Textile experiments to follow soon…..

These are bacteria from my personal microbiome and thus, they are small part of the 100 trillion or so  microorganisms that live in my gut, mouth, skin and elsewhere. The total number of genes in my “second”  microbial genome exceeds the number of my human genes by a factor of 100-to-one.

I’m starting a project to colour my own micobiome so that I might paint, print or colour textiles with it. Here are the very first tests. The processes uses chromogens.  These are colourless compounds that become brightly coloured when bacteria act upon them. So far I have made pink, blue, black and metallic black with members of my normal bacterial flora. I’m liking the idea of a living black ink made from it. What poems could I write with it?