Do you care for the communities in your gut? Are you concerned about the mould in your bathroom or the invisible threat on your hands? What about the 0.01% of germs that survive your bathroom cleaning product? If you’ve thought about any of these things and use the bus, then carry on reading…
Communities of microbes exist around us and in us, and as well as populating surfaces, they travel in the air alongside gases, dust and pollen. In spaces of work, leisure and travel, air is the medium through which our bodies interact with others’.
The Micro-passenger Community project explores human relationships with (almost) invisible nonhumans like microbes, and ask how we feel about and represent them. It brings researchers from microbiology, geography, landscape architecture and art into dialogue with Southampton bus users.
We are running a series of free workshops led by artist Paul Hurley, to imagine who and what a Micro-passenger Community might be. With citizens from Southampton we will co-produce an interactive artwork for wider publics to encounter at events and online.
The Micro-passenger Community workshops will be running in Southampton between 5-15th July. We’re looking for people who use (or who used to use) the bus to take part. If this sounds like you, we’d love for you to join us! Please sign up via the link here.
The Micro-passenger Community project is funded by the University of Southampton via the Public Engagement wth Research Unit and via the Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences Seed Funding for Public & Community Engagement, and by the National Biofilms Innovation Centre. It will take place in spring and summer 2022, and be developed through new and existing partnerships.