Yui Nakanishi

Summer is in the Air is a project that investigates developing our new relationship with airborne microbes. Airborne microbes are often unrecognised and misunderstood due to their invisibility and the negative connotations associated in our daily lives. 

Inspired by seasonal changes in the microbial community, the project proposes the ambient visualisation as a musical score and sonification of airborne microbiomes in summer, using datasets collected in 2016 (Núñez et.al, 2021). 

By posing the question “What if we could see and listen to the diversity in the air?,” the piece is composed of four layers of important factors related to their composition - taxonomy, environmental data, source, and gene sequence. The project seeks to embrace the encounter with microscopic species and encourage further reflection on our impact on ecology.

Musical Score of Airborne Microbiome in Summer

• Taxonomy: Phylogenetic Tree including Top genera of bacteria and fungi, created in MEGA Software
• Environmental Data: Average Temperature, Relative Humidity, Rain, Solar Radiation 
• Source: Soil, Water, Plant, Animal, etc.
• Gene sequence: Target Region of ribosomal RNA gene to identify species

Sonification of Airborne Microbiome in Summer

• Taxonomy: Sound with different pitch allocated to each genus in phylogenetic tree, turning whole length of score as a landscape of diversity
• Environmental Data: Instrumental Sound with different numbers beats and duration, calculated using the data
• Source: Field Recordings related to the sources
• Gene sequence: Drone sounds in low scale in ACEG (T in E), inspired by nucleotide symbols

This is an on-going project.

To read more about the process behind the project, please visit portfolio website.

This experimental film is a speculation of the perspective of microbes, shot in various outdoor locations that symbolise summer, such as parks, beaches and forests. The film aims to offer a glimpse into how microbes float around and observe us, while invoking our nostalgic memories of summer, accompanied by mist, smoke, and the scent of freshly cut grass.

Throughout the academic year, my research has focused on understanding the current knowledge about airborne microbes and exploring various ways to communicate this hidden diversity. The concept of Temporary Home emerged, highlighting how our surroundings serve as a temporary habitat for these microbes, where they come and go, emphasising how we only meet a microbe once in a lifetime, which should be celebrated.

During this process, the central question that guided me was, How can I incorporate the subject that is alive, invisible, and possibly harmful into the experience? The journey involved conducting experiments, developing an installation that showcased interactions through environmental data and the collection of these invisible microbes in a jar within the exhibition space.

Microscopic facts about airborne microbes

• We breathe in a million microorganisms belonging to a thousand species every single day
• Their path and fate are impacted by environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity and motion of your existence
• Some are carried from afar attached to particle

The discussion-based and relaxing workshop was conducted as part of the project to foster imagination beyond our perceptions. Participants were asked to share their experiences - reflecting on their relationship with microbes, recalling all the sensations of summer, and reimagining the organisms surrounding us at that moment. Each of the steps was described in the workbook to guide the participants.