julia lohmann: 'co-existence'

inspired by the unseen universe of microbes that inhabit our bodies, german designer
julia lohmann has produced pixelated images of bacteria colonies of the most common species,
which appear in the bases of the petri dishes, combined with perspex and lighting,
form the shape of naked women. the positioning of each microbe within the artwork shows
the part of the body in which it most commonly lives. 'co-existence' is the latest commission
of the wellcome trust.

the wellcome trust windows by julia lohmann are on display until end of january 2010.
it is located in 215 euston road, london NW1 2BE.


9000 petri dishes brightly illuminated with colors and designs, form the shape of two naked women lying head-to-head


close-up

julia lohmann explains:
'it's been really fascinating delving into the science behind our bodies. when I started working
on the project, I did not realize that we are hosts to such a vast number of different species
of microbes. we decided to use the female form as females contain a greater variety of microbes
than males, which is a surprise in itself!'

for the project, lohmann consulted professor michael wilson a microbiologist at the
university college london (UCL) eastman dental institute, whose recent book
'bacteriology of humans: an ecological perspective' describes the bacterial communities that live
on the body. information from this book was used to identify those bacterial species which
inhabit particular regions of the body. dr. derren ready, a clinical scientist in professor wilson's
laboratory, grew and photographed colonies of the various bacteria used in the display, of which
a total of 750 images were produced.

professor wilson comments:
'only one in ten of the cells constituting a human being is mammalian - the rest are microbes
and multicellular organisms. this symbiotic association between mammalian cells and microbes
forms the stable, living structure that we think of as the human body. so, in reality, the human body
is not only a beautifully integrated assembly of organ systems, it is also a complex ecosystem
that provides a variety of environments - each of which is populated by a distinct microbial community.
a symbiotic existence is probably the most common form of life on this planet and we humans
are popular hosts. I'm delighted that julia has used this concept as an inspiration for her work.'


'julia lohmann's new work is a distinct from previous commissions for our window display.
rather than asking designers to pitch their own ideas using the wellcome trust for inspiration,
we already had a theme in mind: the symbiotic relationship between the human body and the
microorganisms that live in and on it. we really liked julia's suggestions, and we will also be
working with her on a related event later in the year,' commented james peto, senior curator
at the wellcome trust.

the wellcome trust is the largest charity in the UK. it funds innovative biomedical research both
in the UK and internationally, spending over £600 million each year to support the brightest
scientists with the best ideas. the wellcome trust supports public debate about biomedical research
and its impact on health and wellbeing.