The activity brought together 50 participants led by Mehmet Berkmen, researcher and Creative Director of the project, during the 3rd Workshop on Microbial Molecular Biology.

The opening of the 3rd Workshop on Microbial Molecular Biology, held at the Ribeirão Preto campus of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP-RP) from July 2 to 4, was marked by a creative experience at laboratory benches: the “Bacterial Art” workshop. Led by the researcher Mehmet Berkmen, the activity brought together 50 participants in an experience that united art and science through the creation of visual pieces with live bacteria. The proposal, which kicked off the event with over 300 registrants, encouraged reflection on new ways to communicate science and bring it closer to everyday life.

During the workshop, Berkmen shared his personal journey, marked early on by a close relationship with art and science, and recounted how this dual passion gave rise to the project. “In 2011, I saw incredible art in a restaurant; I met the artist who created it, Maria Peñil Cobo, and invited her to make art with me,” he recalled. The scientist noted that, since then, Cobo has traded brushes for the laboratory, and together they have been discovering the aesthetic possibilities of microbiology. “The lab became her studio,” he commented.

Berkmen’s talk also addressed the invisible but essential role of bacteria on the planet. “For 3 billion years, this was a microbial planet. Even today, 75% of life on Earth is composed of microorganisms,” he stated. According to him, bacteria are ancient, diverse, and everywhere – from underground rocks to human bodies – and play fundamental roles in various systems. Therefore, they deserve greater visibility in the collective imagination. “We need to make the invisible visible,” he challenged.  

After the talk, participants rolled up their sleeves – or rather, dipped into the agar. Using non-pathogenic bacteria that become colorful as they grow, each participant created their own living artworks on agar plates, a gelatinous substance used to cultivate microorganisms. The pieces revealed their colors and shapes gradually as the bacteria grew, creating unique and living art alongside the artists. “Unlike most forms of art, our ‘paint’ is alive and will live, breathe, and grow over time – often in unpredictable ways,” says the researcher on the project’s website.

The results of the plates produced are available on Instagram @cepidb3.