My first collaboration with a bioengineering researcher, Christina Agapakis was Regeneration, in 2013. I collected soils from several areas that had complex microbial community. We grew them on plates and picked ones that had different microbial communities. The plate that had various colors and forms of bacteria were stamped onto one hundred pieces of plates. Each stamped cell made a new colony on its own land.
After that, we took a photo and printed it on paper. A total of one hundred replica plates and printed papers were put on the wall in the gallery. Their form and composition were very similar to each other, however, if observed closely each had very subtle differences.

The bacteria from the soil could be the identity of the surroundings space. Also, the living microorganisms or ecosystem of a similar area could mostly show their uniform identity; however, an individual living creature cannot be perfectly the same at the same from moment to moment. Since the microorganism acquires its unique identity from temporality and inhomogeneity, it allows the microorganism to be an accurate material for the exact expression of identity.

Soil became a canvas, a tale of regeneration untold,
흙은 캔버스가 되었고, 재생의 이야기가 되었습니다,
From diverse lands, microbial secrets unfold.
다양한 땅에서 미생물의 비밀이 펼쳐집니다.
Grown on plates, communities diverse,
접시 위에서 자란, 다양한 커뮤니티,
A hundred colonies emerged, each with its own verse.
100개의 지역이 출현하고, 각각은 고유의 운문을 가지고 있습니다.

Stamped on plates, a dance of colors and forms,
접시에 찍히고, 색과 형태의 춤을 추며
On gallery walls, a hundred echoes swarm.
갤러리 벽에 백 개의 메아리가 몰려듭니다.
Printed papers whisper subtle disparities,
인쇄된 종이들은 미묘한 차이를 속삭이고,
Nature's identity captured in temporal harmonies.
시간적 조화 속에 포착된 자연의 정체성.

Microbes mirror the world's ever-changing face,
미생물은 세상의 변화무쌍한 얼굴을 비추고,
In each moment, a unique, evolving grace.
매 순간 독특하고 진화하는 축복.
Through inhomogeneity, identity unfurls,
비균일성을 통해서 정체성이 발현되고,
A living testament to life's intricate swirls.
삶의 복잡한 소용돌이에 대한 살아있는 증거.

Written and eddited Nov, 2023, by the Chat GPT, and PAPAGO Artificial Intellegent machine

" re·gen·er·a·tion

n.
The act or process of regenerating or the state of being regenerated, especially:
a. Biology Regrowth of lost or destroyed parts or organs.
b. Spiritual or moral revival or rebirth." (1)

(1) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.


* We exposed a plate of nutrient agar to the complex microbial community of soil. After two days, several colonies of cells had grown on the plate. Using a sponge and a hand-made tool, we used the microbial colonies as an "ink" to stamp 25 fresh plates, creating unique "reproductions" of the original exposure as each stamped cell grew into a new colony.

A total of one hundred replica copies of the original exposure were made in four sets of twenty five prints. Each set was made from a single "inking" from the last plate of the previous set after two days of microbial growth. _Written By Christina Agapakis
https://www.agapakis.com/