Final Project

The word 除菌 (jyokin, which means sterilizing) is something you can often see on products and hear in commercials in Japan. All bacteria is considered “evil” when the truth is we are covered with millions of microbiota and we wouldn’t be able to live without this symbiotic relationship. I’m interested in what we can learn from the microbes about ourselves and the environment. Can we observe the subtle changes in our everyday lives and maybe even visualize our health or mental state? This project is an attempt to collect the microbes from humans and the surrounding environment and use it as a living material to grow on jewellery so that it will reflect how we are and where we are.

Right now I am making rings out of agar to sample microbes from the finger and from the environment. I am also making earrings with pieces of agar to sample microbes from different locations. Once the rings and earrings are worn they will be placed in acrylic cases to culture in the incubator.

(Ultimately the agar medium will be sterilized with bleach before they are disposed.)

Making the Mold for Agar Rings

The agar medium will be poured into the acrylic mold to create the rings. In order to make it easier to take the solidified agar ring out of the mold, I made it in two pieces. For the first design the two pieces fit a little loosely so they are secured together using M3 bolts and nuts. But for the second design I was able to make the two pieces fit snugly together. I poured in water to see whether it would leak and it didn’t.

First Design (PDF)

Second Design (PDF)

Experiment 1: Agar Medium’s Stiffness

Experiment 2: Agar Medium’s Ingredients