Microbial Mindscapes/Project Leader: Yoojin Oh / Artist: Sabina Hyoju Ahn / Sound: Ryan Millett / Visual & Space Architects: Nefeli Manoudaki, Iason Paterakis / Scientists: Christina Watschinger, Tobias Ruff, Rong Zhu, Peter Hinterdorfer/Photo: tom mesic

Microbial Mindscapes

Yoojin Oh (KR/AT), Sabina Hyoju Ahn (KR/US), Christina Watschinger (AT), Ryan Millett (US), Nefeli Manoudaki (GR), Iason Paterakis (GR/US), Tobias Ruff (DE/AT), Rong Zhu (CN), Peter Hinterdorfer (AT), Junsoo Kim (KR)

Microbial Mindscapes is an interactive audiovisual installation and performance exploring the impact of the human gut microbiota on emotions. Inspired by the artist’s struggles with panic disorder and depression, this project merges biophysics, gastroenterology, microbiome research, microbiology, pharmacology, and AI.

By starting the content, you agree that data will be transmitted to youtu.be.
Data Protection Declaration

Using scientific discoveries on molecular interactions and microscopic techniques, it links gut microbiota with mental health and cognitive functions, highlighting the influence of lifestyle on well-being. The project explores philosophical and scientific correlations between humans and microbes, prompting a reevaluation of consciousness and self-identity. Through an immersive visual and auditory experience, the project encourages reflection on the interplay between art, science and human emotion. It broadens understanding of mental and physical health, emphasizing gut microbiota’s role in shaping our emotional and cognitive states and advocating for a holistic approach to health.

Bios

  • Photo: Christina Watschinger

    Christina Watschinger

    AT

    Christina Watschinger is the group leader of the gastroenterology and hepatology research laboratory at the Faculty of Medicine, Johannes Kepler University Linz. Her main research interest is to decipher interactions between the intestinal microbiota and the intestinal immune system, to generate novel therapies and treatment strategies for inflammatory GI diseases.

  • Photo: Iason Paterakis

    Iason Paterakis

    GR/US

    Iason N. Paterakis is a California-based Architect-Engineer and Media Artist pursuing a Ph.D. in Media, Arts & Technology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a member of transLAB, researching and designing biodata-driven mediated environments and AI-driven architectural facades. Paterakis has participated in international exhibitions and conferences, including SIGGRAPH’s “Synaptic Time Tunnel,” the International Astronautical Congress, and “EcoRedux 02” at Disseny Hub Barcelona.

  • Photo: Jihoon Kang

    Junsoo Kim

    KR

    Junsoo Kim is an artist rooted in machinery and engineering, transforming microscopic events into tangible forms. Motivated by capturing solid-state materials and emphasizing actual reality over fleeting virtual reality, his work focuses on metal-based creations and modular sculptures. Recently, he has drawn inspiration from immersive installations that provide virtual reality experiences without using VR or AR technologies, exploring non-traditional and innovative artistic approaches.

  • Photo: Nefeli Manoudaki

    Nefeli Manoudaki

    GR

    Nefeli Manoudaki is an Architect-Engineer and a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the Media Arts and Technology (MAT) program. Her bio-design works intersect nature and human senses, utilizing emerging technologies. Her research encompasses XR, AI, and generative architectural forms in both tangible and digital media. Her projects have been featured in exhibitions such as ACM SIGGRAPH, Erasmus XR Symposium, MIT Reality Hackathon and more.

  • Photo: Peter Hinterdorfer

    Peter Hinterdorfer

    AT

    Peter Hinterdorfer, head of the Institute of Biophysics at the Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, focuses on nanoscopic techniques in life science. His research includes molecular interactions of viruses, antibodies, transmembrane transporters, and cellular receptors at the single molecule level. His group has shown antibody movements on bacterial and viral surfaces and mapped receptor binding sites on cells. He has published over 300 papers, and is cited more than 18,000 times, h-index 71.

  • Photo: Rong Zhu

    Rong Zhu

    CN

    Rong Zhu is a senior scientist in Peter Hinterdorfer’s Lab (JKU). He is interested in molecular interaction and recognition of biological molecules, drugs, cells, viruses, etc.

  • Photo: Ryan Millett

    Ryan Millett

    US

    Ryan is a composer, programmer, and multimedia artist based in Santa Barbara, California. His work extends an ancient lineage of musical tradition through methods and models informed by contemporary theories of computation, mediated by the inherent abstraction of sound, and imbued with creative inspiration drawn from the natural world. Ryan is currently a graduate student and researcher in the Media Arts and Technology program at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

  • Photo: Sabina Hyoju Ahn

    Sabina Hyoju Ahn

    KR/US

    Sabina Hyoju Ahn is an artist exploring auditory perception, tactile sense, visual elements, and a mix of digital and analog technology. Her research delves into hidden patterns in nature and human-non-human relationships, translating imperceptible data into perceptual experiences. Using biological materials with machines, she creates transformative works. Her recent research focuses on human perception through post-digital media concepts and contemporary scientific and artistic methods.

  • Photo: Tobias Ruff

    Tobias Ruff

    DE/AT

    Tobias Ruff is a senior lecturer at the Institute of Pharmacology. He is interested in the role of ion channels in immune cells.

  • Photo: Yoojin Oh

    Yoojin Oh

    KR/AT

    Yoojin Oh is a senior scientist at the Institute of Biophysics of Johannes Kepler University, Linz with a focus on nano-scale microscopic imaging. She earned her doctorate in Korea, developing scanning probe microscopy techniques. In 2009, Oh moved to Europe for post-doctoral research, applying these techniques to living organisms and pathogens. She has received prestigious EU and Austrian grants and has published over 40 peer-reviewed papers. She also collaborates with artists in interdisciplinary artwork.

Credits

Project Leader: Yoojin Oh / Artist: Sabina Hyoju Ahn / Sound: Ryan Millett / Visual & Space Architects: Nefeli Manoudaki, Iason Paterakis / Scientists: Christina Watschinger, Tobias Ruff, Rong Zhu, Peter Hinterdorfer

We acknowledge support from LIT-ARS-2024-003, the FWF projects I5791, P35166, the FWF Cluster of excellence “Microbiomes Drive Planetary Health”, and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria.