Did you know you are only 10% human? The other 90% contains bacteria and yeasts that are happy to digest your food and take care of your immune system. These microbes do not discriminate – they just need us to be human, and that’s enough for them to take care of us. Regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic position or identity, we all carry the same microbes as everyone else. As such, the human body is a wonderful ecosystem consisting of various microorganisms. This micro-world is not visible to the naked eye and is not always understood, but the co-existence between humans and these organisms plays an important role in our lives.

BioArt Laboratories presents Collecting Cultures, a long-term art project that reveals that these invisible ‘cultures’ on our bodies are a reflection of ourselves. In collaboration with the students from Fontys Hogescholen, thousands of sample donations were collected from the people of Eindhoven. These samples contained various bacteria and yeasts that were then cultivated into fascinating results with other worldly shapes and colours. As part of GLOW – Urban skin, we present through light art the invisible world, showing in its own unique way the beautiful diversity and inclusivity of Eindhoven, and inspires people to look differently at connection.