Anna Dumitriu ‘Infective textiles’ (2011)
Anna Dumitriu works within the fields of Bioart and bacteria, blurring the lines between art and science. Her work raises ethical issues caused by emerging technologies as well as reflecting her interest in microbiology. Anna’s work consists of performances, interventions and installations where she uses a range of mediums such as traditional, biological and digital. These mediums include things such as robotics, bacteria and textiles. Her work has also been shown in public collections around the world, including the Science Museum in London. As well as this, Anna is a founder and director of ‘The Institute of Unnecessary Research’, a group of artists and scientists who cross disciplinary boundaries within their work.
Anna Dumitriu ‘The Communicating Bacteria Dress’
The Communicating Bacteria project explored Bioart, historical textiles and 3D mapped video projections. The project reflects the new research being held into bacterial communication and is a way of engaging a wider audience to provoke debates as well as understanding around the topic of infection control. Within her work, Anna studies the intricate communication capabilities between what is considered to be the most simplest of life forms, bacteria. Bacteria can in fact work collectively. gain information about their surrounding environment and use that information in a significant manor. Through the use of chemicals, the bacteria then pass these important messages onto nearby cells. Within the project, Anna collaborated with microbiologists Dr Simon Park and Dr John Paul as well as video artist Alex May. Anna feels that there is such a huge importance in the public understanding microbiology as many businesses play on public fears in order to add value to and sell more of their products. Bacteria is portrayed as ‘armies of tiny monsters’ which are always ready to attack and cause problems unless we purchase the newest product such as hand wash. With her collaborative work, Anna tries to make information about the intricacies of bacteria available to a much broader audience by making her work appealing, something I find I try to do within my own work about microscopic disease.
Anna Dumitriu ‘Lab Coat Flora’
The Communicating Bacteria Project consists of the process of textiles designs stained with dyes made from bacteria which change in colour depending on the communication and current behaviour of the bacteria. It also includes interactive interventions, a series of embroidered pieces made through using genetically modified bacteria and crochet patterns which represent bacterial responses. Through using textiles as one of her main mediums, Anna communicates difficult and complex stories and ideas, reaching out to a wide audience of all ages which is something I feel the collaboration between art and science achieves well.
I found myself intrigued by Anna Dumitriu’s work not only because she works collaboratively with those in the science field, but she also focuses on microbiology, something I too am interested in within my work. Through her main inspiration being bacteria, something considered to be unappealing in idea as well as to the eye, Anna creates these beautiful textile pieces representing the bacteria as something more aesthetically pleasing, allowing people who may not know much about bacteria to see it from a new perspective. Within her work she also works with the use of digital media which is something I hope to also look at doing for my final display.
References:
Dumitriu, A. (2011). Anna Dumitriu ‘Infective Textiles’. [image] Available at: http://annadumitriu.tumblr.com/post/56324504323/there-was-a-hugely-successful-and-widely-reported [Accessed 4 Jun. 2014].
Dumitriu, A. (2013). ‘The Communicating Bacteria Dress’. [image] Available at: http://www.medinart.eu/works/anna-dumitriu/ [Accessed 4 Jun. 2014].
Dumitriu, A. (2013). ‘Lab Coat Flora’. [image] Available at: http://www.medinart.eu/works/anna-dumitriu/ [Accessed 4 Jun. 2014].
Med in Art, (2013). Anna Dumitriu – Med in Art. [online] Available at: http://www.medinart.eu/works/anna-dumitriu/ [Accessed 4 Jun. 2014].
Dumitriu, A. (n.d.). Communicating Bacteria. [online] Bioart and Bacteria. Available at: http://annadumitriu.tumblr.com/CommunicatingBacteria [Accessed 4 Jun. 2014].
Kath Howard 