By Caroline Cole
Department Communications
Nearly three years ago, Artist Sonja Bäumel and UW–Madison Prof. Helen Blackwell teamed up to research microbial communication. Now, their exhibit, “What would a microbe say?” has become ever more important with the onset of the novel coronavirus.
Originally developed as a performative showcase in Germany at Frankfurter Kunstverein that debuted in October 2019, dancers symbolized the movement of bacterial communication.
“The performance seeks to point out that a living being cannot be reduced to its DNA and that its exploration of social relationships requires, among other things, an artistic and philosophical extension of scientific tools,” the exhibit’s description states.
With the onset of COVID-19 and regulations for in-person events, the exhibit moved to an online format in April.
“We are all well aware of viruses these days,” Blackwell said. “Giving the viewer an appreciation of bacteria was our initial motivation, but now we are starting to explore a broader swath of microbes you cannot see but have dramatic impacts on us and how we interact.”
Their book of the exhibit is set to release in early 2021 and it will explore Blackwell and Bäumel’s three-year-long collaboration and their online exhibit.
The “What would a microbe say?” online exhibit will be available until December 31, 2020.