Microbiome: Inside Out
Microbiome: Inside Out presented the works of biodesigners Dia Munoz (EC) and Rosie Broadhead (UK) in order to imagine a future in which being human means being microbial.
Human species tend to think of themselves as winners of the evolution lottery. Our perceived uniqueness has led to shaping of the living environment in a way that answers to our needs, almost entirely ignoring other creatures with whom we are co-inhabiting the world. But what we also know is that humans are not so uniquely human after all. Our internal and external organs are a colourful landscape, swarming with bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses and other microbes that make up more than half of the body’s total cell count. What we seem to be is a lively ecosystem of organisms that communicate and collaborate in order to form, maintain and nurture their living environment, which is the human body. But what kind of meaning does the ‘humanness’ acquire in this context? How much do we know ourselves? Are we really so distinctively human?
Rosie Broadhead (United Kingdom) is an apparel designer specialising in biomaterials in the fashion industry. Her interests lie between the skin and interaction with clothing, and how science and technology will influence the future of fashion.
Dia Munoz (Ecuador) is an interdisciplinary artist and designer interested in the interaction of humans and technology in near futures. She is fascinated about the ways in which technology shapes being human with a special focus on health and biotechnology intersections.
Organisational Partners: Leiden University and Beyond Human
Special thanks to Robert Zwijnenberg, Marloes Honsbeek, Eleonora Capaccioni and Simona Sankalaitė