Intertwined & Interdependent: a Microbe and Human History in Space and Time 

Artist Statement:

This sculptural piece is One of Three which depicts the relational space between Bacteria and Humans. The cube sculpture is also placed in relations to the temporal string installation with the other two relational sculptures. The common thread that ties the three sculptures is the flexible web which symbolizes the interconnectedness, partnership and co-dependence between the parties involved. In this case, the web traverses the sculpture in a wave-like fashion. The imagery of wave serves to represent, not only, the vast quantity and diversity of the human microbiome, but also the history of their discovery which is ever growing and exponential like a wave in motion. 

The cube sculpture represents an instant where Bacteria and Humans interact within the Human Microbiome. Both the Human and the Bacteria engage in a beneficial relationship where the Bacteria play a crucial role in maintaining the immune system and protecting against pathogens and the Bacteria sustains itself on the Human resource.  The cube intends to evoke the intestinal microbiome of the human where humans support bacteria just as much as bacteria support humans. Furthermore, the cube tries to propose an alternative vision of the cooperative relationship that moves away from the imagery of the Vitruvian man and the problematic Humanist basis. 

Placed within the temporal installation, the Bacteria-Human spacial representation, alongside the other two sculptural cubes, anchor the zigzagging and plural Time to specific events and spaces, rather than being measured by chronological ideals.