What happens when we realize that we never eat alone, but always eat together with, for, and thanks to others species? To dive deeper into humans’ complex relationship with the microbes in our bodies, the project Sensing Holobiont – Flavourful Rituals for Metabolic Companions explores what it means to understand oneself as an ecosystem in the intersection between art, food and science. The performative live artwork is a result of a close collaboration between Medical Museion, the artist duo Baum & Leahy and Center for Biosustainability, DTU.

Photo in top: Rune Svenningsen

We are many – an ecosystem of trillion bodies
We are an ecosystem of trillion bodies. This is the general idea contained in the concept of the ‘holobiont’. A holobiont is an ecological unit consisting of a ‘host organism’ – animal, plant or fungi – and the associated microbes, viruses and smaller holobionts living in and on it. The ecological, evolutionary and daily dynamics of holobionts have reached new interests among several big scientific disciplines. But how can these unseen vibrant exchanges between species be explored on a sensorial and emotional level? What are the possibilities in understanding the concept by working from the intersection between art, food and science? These are the central questions for the interdisciplinary performance project Sensing Holobiont – Flavourful Rituals for Metabolic Companions.

Our holobiont selves
By combining novel gastronomy, interactive installation and microbiome research, the work asks: How might a multisensorial ceremony help us to recognize and realise our holobiont selves? And how might this realization change our relationship to our bodies, to eating, and to planetary health? Through a series of edible encounters, the live events examines the various holobiont concepts such as symbiosis, cometabolism, exchange, and transformation, and invites the visitors to explore the act of feeding the many.

Continued metabolic afterlife
While the live events happened in January 2023, the microbial exchanges happening during the performances will continue their afterlife in the bodies of the visitors.

In terms of research, Medical Museion will now look into the visitor experiences during the live events.

If you have questions or are curious to learn more about the project, feel free to contact the project leader and main curator, Associate Professor Louise Whiteley, lowh@sund.ku.dk, or contact the artists directly if you are interested to host an evolved version of Sensing Holobiont.

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Sensing Holobiont – Flavourful Rituals for Metabolic Companions (In danish)

The live events took place in Medical Museion’s new exhibition space Appendix. The collective dining encounter includes interactive, sensorially stimulating elements such as wax cups, biomaterial cutlery, slime-filled pools connected by tubes, bubbling glass vessels, pre- and probiotic foods, and choreographed movements between guides and guests within the installation. In each ritual, there is an accompanying text. These texts are recipes, poems, prayers, formulas, incantations for the holobiont becomings that happened as the guests ate.

Sensing Holobiont – Flavourful Rituals for Metabolic Companions is a new work by artist duo Baum & Leahy in collaboration with culinary researchers Kim Wejendorp & Dr Josh Evans. PhD fellow Joana Formosinho and Professor Rob Dunn contributed conceptual and scientific input, following from their collaboration with Baum & Leahy on Cometabolise: A Holobiont Dinner in 2021. Associate professor and curator Louise Whiteley facilitated both projects under Microbes on the Mind at Medical Museion, and contributed to conceptual development.

Project coordinators: Cecilie Glerup and Simone Cecilie Pedersen. Co-creating assistant: Ella Yolande. Assistant chef: Nurdin Topham. Creative Producer: Anna Firbank. Soundscape: room 1: Ella Yolande, main room: Sofie Birch.

Project leader and main curator: Associate Professor Louise Whiteley, lowh@sund.ku.dk, +45 2112 6712

The project is supported by the Velux grant Microbes on the Mind, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) at the University of Copenhagen, Sustainable Food Innovation at The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain) and Statens Kunstfond.