BAKTERIUM was a collaboration with media artist Herman Kolgen on his exhibit at Paradise Art Space - Paradise City in Incheon (KR) from September 17th, 2021 to February 6th, 2022.
BAKTERIUM, 2021
In nature, many bacteria coexist, forming an “advanced society” based on interactions. Today, in order to better understand the behavior of microorganisms, bio-scientists are producing synthetic bacteria. This engineering offers a promising perspective for the future, whether in the field of health, agriculture or even urban planning.
Inspired by discussions with biologist Tal Danino on bio-technology, Herman Kolgen artificially created, not biological bacteria, but rather digital bacteria.
Evolving in hostile virtual environments, these synthetic bacteria thrive and confront systems and algorithms designed as environments forcing adaptation. subject to stressors such as light, vibrations or sound, their survival depends greatly on their ability to defend themselves, favoring community spirit over individualism.
Playing on different levels of magnification, using improbable lenses, Herman Kolgen offers a microscopic point of view from which invisible nature reveals its part of humanity.
All images courtesy of Herman Kolgen