SLOW METABOLISM and other objects

Title: SLOW METABOLISM, Living object; year: 2020; materials: cyanobacteria, nutrient gel, glass, stone

The electric green veins running through the bottle are colonies of cyanobacteria. They are slowly evolving and little by little they are colonizing the nutrient gel. They are autotrophe organisms, which means that they provide in their own food. They obtain their energy through oxygenic photosynthesis. They consume CO2 and they release oxygen, similar as plants do.
Not only has cyanobacteria been an important element for forming the earth’s oxygen atmosphere, but they also have contributed to many other attributes important to human life.

Cyanobacteria, nutrient gel, glass, stone. 25cm x 25cm x 25cm.

Cyanobacteria’s ability to absorb CO2 provides food for thought. Terms as ‘Speculative’ and ‘Human-Microbial Metabolism’ pop up as we study these micro-organisms. We should get beyond the intriguing poison-green veins to know the material from within. We can see cyanobacteria as an artistic material, but we are still speculating about their future practical and concrete uses.