The Netherlands, 1990
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WORLDS WITHIN bodies, bedrooms, and breath

The world at large carries many worlds, most of which are invisible to us. This project visualizes the interconnections between individual worlds co-existing on different scales.

'’Within the walls of my bedroom I dream of saving the world from neoliberal exploitation, planetary injustice, and climate change, but when I zoom out, and imagine the world from out of space my life becomes an invisible dot.’’

To come to terms with my insignificant existence in the scheme of the large, I focused on something even smaller: the microbes in and around us. Without them we wouldn’t be alive, as they support all life’s essential chemical processes.   

For this work I cultivated the microbial life in the bedroom air of 48 people, creating an archive of worlds we breathe while dreaming.

In an effort to oppose the narrative of human supremacy, these worlds are now presented as scaled-up projections reminiscent of a celestial sphere, to visualise invisible worlds that support our existence. The projections are accompanied by a video ‘Screen-reflections from our bedrooms’, in which I reflect with participants on their relationship with ‘their’ microbes.

Projects by: Nina van Hartskamp