Rebecca Atkinson speaks to Haig Balian, the director of Amsterdam’s Natura Artis Magistra, which has opened a museum about microbial life.
Micropia opened in Amsterdam at the end of last year and tells the story of the oldest, most abundant, microscopic life form on earth – microbes.
Run by Natura Artis Magistra, the city’s zoo, aquarium and planetarium, and billed as the world’s first microbe zoo, the museum uses digital technology and interactive displays to animate the subject.
How did Micropia come about?
After bumping into the interim manager of Amsterdam’s zoo at the airport over 10 years ago, I began exploring the idea of explaining the importance of nature to young people. I realised that if I could, for example, show teenagers what happens during a French kiss, they might get interested in how they are part of nature.
The public knows little about microbes – hardly anything is known about 99% of species – and they have certainly never been displayed alive in a museum before. We now have the technology to show this previously-unseen world to the public.
What is the aim of Micropia?
We wanted to convey the fact that life on earth without microbes would be impossible, and to draw people into this story we’ve placed human life at the centre of it. Visitors will get their first taste of this in the lift, where they will be transported to another world.
How did the building develop?
The museum took nine years to develop and complete. The building was used as a municipal registry during the Nazi-German occupation in the second world war but was bombed by the resistance in 1943, so a lot of restoration work had to be carried out. Much-needed financial support came from the ministry of economic affairs and other European funding and sponsorship bodies.
How did the concept behind Micropia evolve?
Once I knew the museum would be a good idea, I put together a team of microbiologists and designers to develop the concept. We had a lot of issues, because a microbe museum had never been attempted before – we initially struggled with how to show these microscopic forms in exciting and engaging ways. It’s been a long journey, but everything has eventually fitted together well.
What challenges did you face during the design process?
The biggest difficulties were determining what we should display – because the microbial world is so expansive – and how to build our collection. There are no other microbe museums to learn from, so it will always be a question of trying new things, whatever
we do.
During the design process, we decided that if we couldn’t explain something with an image it had to go. This rule forced us to make strong decisions, scrapping exhibits if they didn’t achieve what we wanted them to.
We decided to keep humans at the centre of our story, focusing on the micro-organisms that exist on us. These are mostly fine to display alive, but some microbial viruses such as Aids and Ebola are too dangerous to exhibit, so we commissioned an artist to make glass models of them instead.
Wherever possible though, we have presented these near-invisible life forms in their live state: we show microbes that inhabit the deep sea as well as those that reside in our intestines. Our understanding of microbial life is constantly evolving and growing, so our displays will need to reflect that too.
How have you used digital and interactive exhibits?
We didn’t want the museum to just consist of lots of ordinary microscopes, so we have developed special 3D ones with joysticks that visitors can use to navigate through the minute world of microbial life.
Our interactive centrepiece is the world’s first microbe bodyscanner – it’s so incredible that people often can’t tell if its scans are real. Another fun interactive display is the kiss-o-meter, which measures the number of microbes exchanged during a French kiss – approximately 85 million every 10 seconds.
We also present the practical applications of microbes, including their uses in treating illness and producing energy. As visitors walk around the museum they will also see specially commissioned artworks including animations, lighting design, and even a soundscape. There’s also a trail where visitors can collect stamps on a card showing different microbes as they wander about the space. At the end, there is a digital wall that displays how many stamps visitors have collected and the scale of the microbes they depict.
What role does Micropia play in the wider context of microbiology?
We are at a crucial stage of human existence; climate change by pollution and overpopulation are major threats. We are at the beginning of a revolution – we now know what life’s building blocks are and have the technology to study these almost-invisible natural phenomena. The next step will be to use microbes to find solutions to the major problems we face.
People who visit our museum might not know anything about microbes, but they will realise the beauty and importance of their miniscule domain during their visit. The scientific community has a big job ahead to raise public understanding of microbial life, and the role of Micropia is to help bridge that gap, as well as act as a springboard to the fascinating wider world of microbiology.
Micropia opened in Amsterdam at the end of last year and tells the story of the oldest, most abundant, microscopic life form on earth – microbes.
Run by Natura Artis Magistra, the city’s zoo, aquarium and planetarium, and billed as the world’s first microbe zoo, the museum uses digital technology and interactive displays to animate the subject.
How did Micropia come about?
After bumping into the interim manager of Amsterdam’s zoo at the airport over 10 years ago, I began exploring the idea of explaining the importance of nature to young people. I realised that if I could, for example, show teenagers what happens during a French kiss, they might get interested in how they are part of nature.
The public knows little about microbes – hardly anything is known about 99% of species – and they have certainly never been displayed alive in a museum before. We now have the technology to show this previously-unseen world to the public.
What is the aim of Micropia?
We wanted to convey the fact that life on earth without microbes would be impossible, and to draw people into this story we’ve placed human life at the centre of it. Visitors will get their first taste of this in the lift, where they will be transported to another world.
How did the building develop?
The museum took nine years to develop and complete. The building was used as a municipal registry during the Nazi-German occupation in the second world war but was bombed by the resistance in 1943, so a lot of restoration work had to be carried out. Much-needed financial support came from the ministry of economic affairs and other European funding and sponsorship bodies.
How did the concept behind Micropia evolve?
Once I knew the museum would be a good idea, I put together a team of microbiologists and designers to develop the concept. We had a lot of issues, because a microbe museum had never been attempted before – we initially struggled with how to show these microscopic forms in exciting and engaging ways. It’s been a long journey, but everything has eventually fitted together well.
What challenges did you face during the design process?
The biggest difficulties were determining what we should display – because the microbial world is so expansive – and how to build our collection. There are no other microbe museums to learn from, so it will always be a question of trying new things, whatever
we do.
During the design process, we decided that if we couldn’t explain something with an image it had to go. This rule forced us to make strong decisions, scrapping exhibits if they didn’t achieve what we wanted them to.
We decided to keep humans at the centre of our story, focusing on the micro-organisms that exist on us. These are mostly fine to display alive, but some microbial viruses such as Aids and Ebola are too dangerous to exhibit, so we commissioned an artist to make glass models of them instead.
Wherever possible though, we have presented these near-invisible life forms in their live state: we show microbes that inhabit the deep sea as well as those that reside in our intestines. Our understanding of microbial life is constantly evolving and growing, so our displays will need to reflect that too.
How have you used digital and interactive exhibits?
We didn’t want the museum to just consist of lots of ordinary microscopes, so we have developed special 3D ones with joysticks that visitors can use to navigate through the minute world of microbial life.
Our interactive centrepiece is the world’s first microbe bodyscanner – it’s so incredible that people often can’t tell if its scans are real. Another fun interactive display is the kiss-o-meter, which measures the number of microbes exchanged during a French kiss – approximately 85 million every 10 seconds.
We also present the practical applications of microbes, including their uses in treating illness and producing energy. As visitors walk around the museum they will also see specially commissioned artworks including animations, lighting design, and even a soundscape. There’s also a trail where visitors can collect stamps on a card showing different microbes as they wander about the space. At the end, there is a digital wall that displays how many stamps visitors have collected and the scale of the microbes they depict.
What role does Micropia play in the wider context of microbiology?
We are at a crucial stage of human existence; climate change by pollution and overpopulation are major threats. We are at the beginning of a revolution – we now know what life’s building blocks are and have the technology to study these almost-invisible natural phenomena. The next step will be to use microbes to find solutions to the major problems we face.
People who visit our museum might not know anything about microbes, but they will realise the beauty and importance of their miniscule domain during their visit. The scientific community has a big job ahead to raise public understanding of microbial life, and the role of Micropia is to help bridge that gap, as well as act as a springboard to the fascinating wider world of microbiology.
