Certain bacteria to orientate themselves towards light

All works of the three series are products of a special procedure, based on the property of certain bacteria to orientate themselves towards light. Using this dependency on light, Lissel subjected bacterial cultures that were kept in transparent petri dishes filled with agar solution to pictures. As a result, the bacteria grew and aligned themselves to the pictures in a way comparable to photographic processes, where those spots on photographic paper that receive light darken, whereas those that are little exposed remain bright. For Bakterium - water light(s) history, photo negatives were projected onto the bacterial cultures in classical photographic fashion. The pieces of the Bakterium - Vanitas series, in contrast, are comparable to photograms: The objects were placed between the petri dish and the source of light, which was shining from below. The resulting images were then photographed and enlarged to about 80 cm? (31.5 in.). They reveal themselves in an ephemeral state, a fleeting moment in the organic cycle of growth and decay. Shadowy and fragile, they recall the early days of photography. They are also, however, products of the modern laboratory, documented and presented like a scientific experiment, in uniform shapes confined by the scientist's petri dishes. For Bakterium - self-portrayal, Lissel took microscopic pictures of the structures of single bacteria and projected them onto petri dishes filled with bacterial solution. As a consequence, the bacterial cultures reproduced their own micro-images. Normally indiscernible to the human eye, a multitude of organisms here can be observed creating a "super sign" of themselves, with their livelihood being a part of their self-portraits. For more information please click "here":[ http://www.edgarlissel.de/].

---