Now that’s minimalism: Art with microbes

opheliaThe Microbial Art site features graphics created with fungi and bacteria. The dozen or so artists on display include Alexander Fleming, and the styles range from homey-sampler to fractal-abstract.  A set of aesthetic criteria hasn’t emerged yet, but I particularly like the pictured work:

Artist JoWOnder presents a pre-Raphaelite painting of Ophelia created with bacteria. The demise of the painting is filmed using time-lapse photography, showing a story of death and creation of new life. The colors and animation for ‘6 Days Goodbye Poems Of Ophelia’ were created in a laboratory at Surrey University UK with the help of microbiologist Dr. Simon Park. When displayed in 2010, this will be an outdoor video installation of Ophelia with poems submitted from the public. Composer Milton Mermikides will be producing a sound track based on the genetic code of bacteria that colonize the gut.

Story tip: Carl Zimmer on Discover

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