Artist Statement

Exhibition. ISEA2023 selected artwork, Point Éphémère, Nuit Blanche 2023, June 3

Materials: soil bacteria, rainwater. Discipline: photographs of an evolving artwork. Dimensions: lightbox 110cm x 72cm x 14cm

‘Exoskeleton, topography of a second skin’ are 2 lightboxes with photographs of the Winogradski experiment. The experiment researches what bacteria can tell us about the soil they live in. Soil samples (a highly diverse micro-ecosystem of soil bacteria and algae) were cultured for several weeks. The sealed cultures were developing independently over time, and the bacterial communities were slowly changing color, thereby forming textures and patterns in response to the environmental elements such as oxygen, light and temperature. The end result -the photographs- function thus as a portrait of the region where the soil samples were taken and represent the detailed complexity of the local environment, its genetic, bacterial and geological profile. [Source: https://annemariemaes.net/works/bee-laboratory-works/exoskeleton-topography-of-a-second-skin-the-winogradski-experiment]

• Anne Marie Maes (BE) is an artist and researcher with an extensive track record in socially engaged art projects that strive for greater awareness about the fragility of our natural environment and for the adoption of strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change. She has worked extensively with communities on urban agriculture, the creation of connected urban green corridors and the installation and monitoring of innovative beehives.  https://annemariemaes.net