Book Release: Governing Bodies – A reader on Microbes, Art & Identity

 

- October 21, 19.30, Verkstad konsthall, Norrköping

Since 2018 a group of artists and researchers from half a dozen European countries have met, discussed, cooked, eaten and made interdisciplinary art events about the microbes that humans live in symbiosis with. Together the members of the group share a deep interest in how humankind’s growing understanding about the microbes in the human body influence humankind’s understanding of itself and our place in the world. Their collective experiences form the basis for a new publication that shed light on how microbes influence our health and our personality. It is also an exploration of what happens when different forms of knowledge come together and investigate a subject from different angles and new perspectives. It was created to inspire new thinking, new eating habits, and new perspectives on art and science. The contributors offer inspiration for our daily lives by reflecting on what happens when we see ourselves not as individuals, but rather living, walking ecosystems.

Each human being lives with 1,5 kg of microbes. They live in and on our body and because they are so tiny they outnumber the amount of cells that make up our bodies. The increasing knowledge about our interactions with microbes is shifting our perception of who we are and how we understand the world. This also raises questions about how humans should act in the light of these unfolding discoveries about the importance of the more-than-human world. The new knowledge also offers opportunities for new technologies and at the same time forces humanity to make complex ethical decisions. Research about microbes is therefore not only a question for microbial scientists. It is important for everyone on the planet, human and non-human alike. Today’s research and technological advances are not only changing science, they also affect the environment as well as influence the humanities and the arts.

You are invited to the release of the book where you can meet some of the writers who have participated in the process.

You can meet Freddie Ross, the editor of the book and Per Huttner who has organised the workshops and public events that lay the foundation for the book (The two will also make a performance on the topic.). You can also talk to researchers Giada Lo Re and Elias Arnér whom have both participated in the book and in the workshops that led up to the publication.

Welcome!