BFA Capstone Project - Self-Organism, 2021

Self-Organism

For my final capstone project at the University of Michigan Penny Stamps School of Art and Design, I took on a project that combined my love of moldmaking, portraiture, experimentation, and microbiology. I enjoy making art that is actively influenced by bacteria and various different organisms too small to be seen with the naked eye – otherwise known as microorganisms. For this work, I made several casts of my own body using alginate and silicone molding techniques. I covered them in nutrient gel, then coated my pieces with the microorganisms that live on my skin, in my digestive tract, in my vagina, and in my everyday environment. Once simply plaster, the sculptures are now organisms in their own right – the bacterial component of who I am, made visible. I’ve documented the growth of my microorganisms through timelapse and captured their relationship to their environment, their original habitat (my body), and how they influence mental and physical health via a series of photographs. These photographs invite viewers into surreal spaces where they can explore disgust, identity, and temporal change. By making a microbial copy of myself, I delve into questions about what connects and separates an individual and their microbiome, and what it means to be human while so many microorganisms call us home. My official project website can be found here (please visit if you’d like more information on the process of making Self-Organism), and all senior students’ fabulous work can be found here.