Microbe‑Machines: Art That Breathes and Flies
An artist in Brooklyn is turning ordinary soil, water, and microbes into living sculptures that change over time. In a forested park outside New York City, she places tall columns filled with these materials that shift color and texture as the tiny communities inside evolve. The work only exists in summer, when light and heat allow the microbes to thrive, turning the columns into shifting mosaics.
In a museum on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, she hangs jellyfish‑like drones that drift up and down. Their soft tentacles open as they glide, creating a living, breathing display. At a major art fair in the city, she suspends a massive model of an ancient ocean organism made from fiber optics and motors that curls its arms like a living thing.
These projects illustrate how technology, biology, and art can overlap. The artist began experimenting with bacteria after her own gut problems led her to ask how microbes influence our bodies. From there she learned that science and creativity can mix in surprising ways, leading her to collaborate with microbiologists, computer scientists, and neuroscientists.
“Message from the Mud”
One of her most ambitious works uses a century‑old method called Winogradsky columns. The artist mixes local soil, pond water, newspaper, and eggshells, then watches the microbes organize themselves into colorful layers. The installation is only possible because she lets nature take its course; the microbes decide where to grow, and the artist simply records the changes. A curator who has watched the columns for two years says they keep surprising her with new colors and patterns.
Aerobes: Flying Micro-Drone Machines
Her flying machines, called aerobes, are small helium balloons that move on their own, guided by sensors and algorithms. First shown at a famous London museum during the pandemic, they were later displayed at New York’s New Museum. The machines are part of a larger show that explores how people feel about technology; some visitors see them as playful or hopeful, while others think of drones or sci‑fi creatures. The artist says she doesn’t want to explain everything; instead, she invites viewers to experience the mystery.
A Conversation Between Life Forms
Across all her work, a common thread is curiosity about unseen life. She often uses microbes as a metaphor for hidden intelligence in the world, encouraging people to listen instead of fear. Her art feels like a conversation between machines, organisms, and humans, showing that even the smallest creatures can inspire big ideas.
