We the Bacteria

Presented during the 24th International Exhibition Inequalities, We the Bacteria travels to the VAi – Flanders Architecture Institute in Antwerp. The exhibition reflects on the theme of inequalities through the lens of health, which is increasingly understood in relation to the microbiome, the community of microorganisms that live with us and contribute to our wellbeing. Many contemporary diseases are associated with the progressive loss of bacterial diversity. In this context, architecture also plays a central role: the “diseases of the built environment” are closely linked to the health of the planet and the biosphere. The exhibition invites visitors to see the human being as an ecosystem in constant relationship with the microbial world. Drawing on the latest research by scientists and architects, it takes visitors on a journey from the depths of the Earth to outer space, proposing an alternative history of architecture told from the perspective of bacteria.