Beneath every surface is an invisible world. Microorganisms have lives and interactions just as we do. Using macro and time-lapse photography, I bring this unseen world into view, and blend my twin passions of art and science.

MICROWORLDS

MicroWorlds is a series that explores and utilizes bacterial interactions to create recognizable forms.

BACILLUS BUTTERFLY 

​

In this piece, I utilize bacterial interactions to create a recognizable image. The body of the butterfly and branch are made of  Streptomyces venezuelae and the wings are Bacillus subtilis. In this image, sliding motility in the Bacillus subtilis is induced by the Streptomyces venezuelae to create the wings.

​

RGBACTERIA

Streptomyces spp. on GYM7 plates with red, green, and blue food coloring in the media. The bacteria metabolize the pigments as it feeds on the media and over time the colonies change color. In the green image, only red pigments were taken up from the green food coloring by the bacteria. The white areas on the colonies are spores produced by Streptomyces spp.   

S. COELICOLOR

This is an image of Streptomyces coelicolor on GYM7 agar with blue food coloring in the media. Overtime, the naturally produced dark red pigments from the bacteria mixed with the blue food coloring to produce the purple background.