Humans are not autonomous individuals, but an ecosystem. The body is a “holobiont” that hosts trillions of microorganisms: bacteria, fungi, viruses, archaea, and protozoa. Together, they have a profound influence not only on our physical state, but also on our emotions and the decisions we like to think we make so rationally.
The three highly sensory experiences of the Microbiome Restaurant bring us closer to the invisible world within our own bodies through boundary-pushing gastronomic experiences for your skin, your gut and your brain. In Plural Tastings you share a meal with the microbes living on your skin, Haute Cuisine for the Rectum feeds your microbiome with rectal snacks tailored to the “palate” of your gut flora, and Living Memories (which will premiere after IDFA) is a cocktail bar for the brain.
The performance experiences are speculative, but scientifically validated. They give a visceral sense of just how much established (Western, liberal, colonial) ideas about human autonomy and reason conflict with our biological reality.
Initial concept developed by POLYMORF in collaboration with Hazal Ertürkan. Special thanks to: Anja Lok (Amsterdam UMC), Justin Sonnenburg (Sonnenburg Lab), Elisa Caffrey and De Karpendonkse Hoeve. This project has been supported through funding from the Creative Industries Fund NL, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, and CIIIC
Lie in a human-sized petri dish and share a meal with some of the trillions of symbiotic microorganisms living in and on your body in this 6-user VR experience combining robotics, haptics, microscopes and food.
