In- and outside of the Martin Gropius Bau took place the installation entitled LIFE PROPAGATION. For this, Professor Dr. Anna Gorbusina (Head of the department ‘Materials and Environment’ of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing [BAM]) reactivated and reanimated microorganisms from a historic dust sample received by Alexander von Humboldt. As part of a global phenomenon, the desert dust was carried by winds from Africa to Europe. This way, Sahara dust reaches distant regions of the world. The minerals of the desert dust form an essential part of the nutrition of various ecosystems, such as the Amazonian rainforest or the oceans. On their way, the microorganisms that adhere to the dust particles support and influence the spatial and functional interaction of living creatures and biotopes of all the habitats where the dust settles.
Inside of the museum, the setup of the experiment was made transparent: a video microscope recording the cell cultures was installed on a table in the museum and connected to a computer. The growth of the bacteria was projected live onto the Martin Gropius Bau, which, due to building works, is currently surrounded by scaffolding. The elements that serve to remodel the façade of the building became part of the installation. The construction foil was used as projection screen for microscopic images of the living bacteria cultures. The light functioned as a binder between the various layers of time, material and content. This way, past, present and future are ‘put on top of` or penetrate each other. The projection showed bacteria as though they actually ‘communicated’ on the building. Sahara dust also reaches Berlin and has impact on the environment there. Thus, it was an element of the natural biofilm of the Martin Gropius Bau. The installation pointed out the interface between micro- and macrocosm and, at the same time, became a complex allegory for society. The reanimated bacteria cultures became a symbol of life itself – an existence independent of the limits and artificial laws of culture. Bacteria are the origin of life. They defy the limits between cultures and disciplines. By doing so, they highlight and emphasize plurality as the natural entity of life.
