The Art of Noticing Microbes

Noticing refers to the act of becoming aware of, or paying attention to something. It’s the process of observing its details, changes, or patterns.

In this article, we explore the concept of noticing microbes, the often invisible yet abundant organisms dominating our ecosystems. We first highlight why noticing such life forms is important for the biodesign community, and outline some of the challenges that make microbes difficult to notice.

Why Notice Microbes?

Described as any organisms that are (usually) too small to be seen with the naked human eye, microbes are one of the most abundant, diverse, and earliest life forms on Earth. Bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc., play a crucial role in nearly every natural cycle, supporting the existence of all higher trophic lifeforms and maintaining the health of the global climate [1]. And for us humans, one of the many cohabitants on the planet, microbial companion species have also profoundly shaped, and will continue to shape, our interactions and experiences with the world.

Our growing understanding of their significance further highlights the ongoing microbial imperative: for us to take better notice the so-called invisible majority. By doing so, we would be in a better position to respond to and care for not only their well-being, but that of the planet’s entire ecosystem as well.

Noticing Microbes in Biodesign

In the context of biodesign, where biology and design are deeply integrated, noticing microbes becomes essential. But why should the biodesign community pay particular attention to these often overlooked organisms?

Biodesign broadly involves incorporating living systems, including microbes, into the design process to create sustainable, functional, and innovative outcomes. Microbes, given their fundamental roles in biological processes, offer unique opportunities and challenges when integrated into design. To successfully work with them, designers must first develop the skill of noticing [2].

1. Microbial Activities as Functional Outputs

Designers who incorporate microbes into their work often rely on the organisms’ natural activities to serve as functional outputs. This requires close attention to microbial behaviour. For instance, certain bacteria can be equipped with biosensors—biological tools that detect environmental changes, like pollutants. These bacteria might be designed to glow, such as with coloured and fluorescent proteins, when they encounter specific chemicals, making them highly useful in environmental monitoring. Noticing these subtle changes is key to leveraging microbes effectively in design.

Similarly, when designing with organic materials, microbes can signal contamination. A microbial presence could emit specific odours, indicating spoilage or the need for sterilization. By being attuned to these microbial signals, designers can respond swiftly and appropriately.

2. Understanding Microbes as Biomaterials

Designers working with microbes as biomaterials must be deeply aware of their properties and behaviours. Microbes like bacteria, fungi, and algae can be grown and manipulated to create bio-based materials, which may evolve over time. For example, bacterial cellulose, a biomaterial produced by certain bacteria, is valued for its versatile texture and visual aesthetics. However, these qualities can shift depending on how the bacteria are cultured, the additives used, or the environment they grow in.

Noticing how microbes respond to dyes, chemicals, or environmental changes allows designers to refine their processes. This is not a one-time observation but an ongoing practice of paying attention to the dynamic nature of living materials. Microbial design, by its nature, is about working with life’s complexity, and success depends on the designer’s ability to notice and adapt to these changes.

3. Cultivating Empathy for Microbes

Lastly, there is an argument for cultivating empathy toward microbes. While we may not think of microbes as sentient, our tendency to view them through the lens of pathogens or pests often overshadows their critical roles as collaborators in the biosphere. By noticing their existence and behaviours, we can begin to adopt more microbe-centered approaches in biodesign—ones that consider the well-being of these organisms and aim to create environments where they can thrive.

This shift in perspective can lead to more ethical design practices. Rather than merely using microbes as tools, designers can recognize the value of maintaining microbial ecosystems, treating them with care (as demonstrated in living artefact examples below, Nukabot [3] and Slime Mold Watch [4]), and even designing for their health, just as we design for human users. By doing so, biodesigners contribute to more sustainable and balanced living systems, benefiting both microbes and the broader environment.

Challenges of Microbial Noticing

Here, we outline microbe-specific “constraints”, that arise from the organisms’ distinct material qualities. These constraints could hinder designers in noticing microbes’ livingness, and may in turn require microbe-appropriate design strategies for the livingness to be adequately and appropriately brought forward to our human senses.

1. Technical Constraints

The microscopic size of most species means that humans are often unable to visually detect physical presence, as well as their temporality of livingness. Microbial growth, movement, and gene expressions for example, may appear invisible and/or perceived to be “too slow” to the naked human eye without relying on other senses (e.g., smell) and/or application of appropriate technical facilitation (e.g., microscopy).

In addition, some microbial species have translucent bodies, which necessitates technical assistance (e.g., through custom light setup) for adequate visualization.

2. Practical Constraints

Currently, only less than 1% of microbes on Earth can be isolated and cultivated, due to the complex environmental requirements of most microbial species [5].

This may pose practical challenges in how certain microbes could be displayed. Designers may need to work in open environments and with other surrounding species to produce their artefacts. As such, the quality of displays could be compromised given the openness of the environment and lack of control in how the displays are produced.

And lastly, some microbes are pathogenic (e.g., viruses) and potentially unsafe for designers to handle. Extra provision and special access may be necessary to produce displays of pathogenic microbial species.

3. Semantic Constraints

For noticing of plants and trees, their meanings can be relatively easily recognized (and also interpreted) by humans. For microbes, this may not be so straightforward. They are often amorphous (lacking cell differentiation), which could create visual ambiguity as a display.

Microbes’ appearances may seem indifferent to other non-living materials: Mycelium could be mistaken for a bundle of cotton, glowing bacteria as LEDs, and the so-called “dog vomit slime mold” as a real dog vomit(!).

Without context and added visual cues to surface their livingness, microbes may thus prove challenging semantically, for humans to notice. These highlight a microbe-sensitive design space that would technically and/or artistically address the visual ambiguity, towards enhancing their recognizability.

In addition, in most human societies, there is a general negative perception around microbes. For instance, humans often feel disgust at the sight of mouldy bread, mildews on bathroom tiles, dental plaques on people’s mouths, etc. And as such, observing certain species of microbes (e.g., moulds) may create negatively-biased experiences. This can be potentially problematic for certain artefacts, as the success of the design may for instance depend on people feeling empathetic towards the integrated microbes. In this case, direct visualization of microbes may be inappropriate, requiring alternative strategies.

Future of Noticing in Biodesign

Noticing microbes is not just about recognizing their existence; it's about understanding their roles, behaviours, and contributions to both ecosystems and design processes. As biodesign continues to evolve, the ability to notice and integrate microbes will become even more critical, especially as we explore sustainable design outcomes in an era where environmental and ecological considerations are paramount.

For biodesigners, this requires a shift in perspective—from viewing microbes as invisible or insignificant to recognizing them as active collaborators. By honing the skill of noticing, designers can unlock new possibilities, from creating dynamic, living materials to fostering empathy for the microbial world. Additionally, addressing the technical, practical, and semantic challenges of microbial noticing will allow the biodesign community to push the boundaries of what's possible.

In the next series of articles, we will go deeper into specific design strategies that biodesigners can deploy to make microbes more noticeable in meaningful and actionable ways [2]. We will explore the so-called art of noticing microbes [6] —an essential skill set that can transform how designers work with these often overlooked organisms and inspire innovative approaches in microbial design.

Ultimately, microbes offer us a unique lens through which to reimagine design. As we continue to notice and work with these organisms, biodesign has the potential to become more responsive, adaptive, and ethical—promoting not only innovation but also a deeper respect for the intricate webs of life that sustain us.

What do you think?

How do you feel about the role of noticing microbes in biodesign? Do you think this approach can help biodesigners refine their practices? Or is it too conceptual to be practical in day-to-day design work? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

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References

[1] O'Malley, M. (2014). Philosophy of microbiology. Cambridge University Press.

[2] Kim, R., Risseeuw, C., Groutars, E. G., & Karana, E. (2023). Surfacing livingness in microbial displays: A design taxonomy for HCI. In Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-21). https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3544548.3581417 

[3] Chen, D., Seong, Y. A., Ogura, H., Mitani, Y., Sekiya, N., & Moriya, K. (2021, May). Nukabot: Design of care for human-microbe relationships. In Extended abstracts of the 2021 CHI conference on human factors in computing Systems (pp. 1-7). https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3411763.3451605 

[4] Lu, J., & Lopes, P. (2022, October). Integrating Living Organisms in Devices to Implement Care-based Interactions. In Proceedings of the 35th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (pp. 1-13). https://doi.org/10.1145/3526113.3545629

[5] Epstein, S. S. (2013). The phenomenon of microbial uncultivability. Current opinion in microbiology, 16(5), 636-642.

[6] Tsing, A. L. (2015). The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins.

📚 Book Recommendations

If you're looking to go deeper into the world of microbiology and noticing, we recommend checking out these insightful books. They offer valuable perspectives and serve as great resources for further exploration on the topics covered in this article. Please note, this section contains affiliate links, which means if you click on these links and purchase the books, we may receive a small commission—at no extra cost to you.

1. Philosophy of Microbiology (2014) by Maureen O'Malley

2. Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins (2021), by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

Both are fantastic reads for anyone interested in microbes, ecological thinking, and noticing. Happy reading!