Bauhaus Ecologies

Was the historic Bauhaus interested in ecology? Presumably in a different context than today. The exhibition »Bauhaus Ecologies«, on view from 11 April to 2 November 2025 at Bauhaus Museum Dessau, explores approaches to ecological thinking in modern design. We are thrilled to share that the exhibition also features the installation »Bacterial ­Cellulose: Co-Weaving Biofilms« developed in the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity«. The project of architects Bastian Beyer and Iva Rešetar and microbiologist Regine Hengge presents the latest results of research at the interface between design, materials science, and ­biology.

»Co-Weaving Biofilms« is an installation grown with bacteria. Starting from the activity of the cellulose-producing bacteria at the nanoscale, fibrous assemblages of biofilms are formed, interweaving with the textile scaffold during the growth process.

Biofilms are symbiotic communities of bacteria, gathering colonies of individual microorganisms, where diverse multi-species act as a collective entity in cooperation and conflict. Bacteria build, maintain, and live in this gelatinous matrix of a fibrous microstructure. Bacterial assemblages of biofilms are not isolated, but »weave« themselves onto other things, adhering to tissues and surfaces, and in our experiments to the web of human-made cellulosic threads – creating textiles that resemble organic skins and membranes. Recognizing such microbiological activity as part of the built environment offers an opportunity to rethink architecture as a practice that often resists the natural contingencies of life and time. By seeking to understand bacterial cellulose as both a material and a living organism, the notion of design and making is also transformed. The installation invites us to acknowledge bacteria as participants in shaping built spaces and their livability, and to expand the architectural field of vision beyond the anthropocentric.

Please find more information about the exhibition and the accompanying program on the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation's website.