Microorganisms are not only important for agriculture. They are also essential for the production of bread and wine, yoghurt and cheese, to name just a few foods. They colonize our bodies, help to utilize nutrients and break down toxins. But some also make us ill. After all, they are responsible for decomposition processes. One bacterium can even decompose plastic. In short, bacteria form the framework of growth and decay and cooperate with us humans to an astonishing degree. Time to dedicate an exhibition to these tiny but powerful players!
By way of introduction, visitors can look back briefly to the 17th-19th centuries to Robert Hooke, Antoni Leeuwenhoek, Ignaz Semmelweis and Louis Pasteur, in other words to the beginnings of research into microorganisms.
The exhibition itself is divided into five sections:
Soil life and agriculture
Microorganisms promote the growth of plants. For example, most plants form symbioses with fungal networks to optimize their nutrient supply. The greater the number of organisms, the more fertile the soil.
The topic is illustrated by the “Sounding Soil” project by Marcus Mäder (artist and researcher, ETH Zurich), which makes the sounds of soil life audible.
Taste through microorganisms
Yeasts are at work in bread and beer. Bacteria are active in cheese, yoghurt and fermented foods. The specific taste of food is created by the chemical processes of microorganisms. Industrially propagated and mixed microorganisms are also used in the production of food. This raises the question of what differences there are between “artificial” and “wild” microorganisms. And what do they do to our taste?
The body: an ecosystem
Around one trillion microorganisms live in a human body. They make up around 1.5 - 2 kg of the body weight. They are fungi, bacteria, viruses and archaea. Most microorganisms are helpful. They are primarily responsible for digestion and supplying the body with nutrients. Many are also essential for our immune system. Others can be dangerous to us.
Dust to dust: decomposition processes
Microorganisms play a key role in decomposing organic material (biowaste, carcasses, etc.), making the nutrients they contain available to plants again and building up humus. These processes are the backbone of the natural cycle of growth and decay.
Solving problems with microorganisms
The better we understand the activities and interaction of microorganisms, the more specifically and effectively we can use them to solve present and future problems. They can play an important role not only in the food industry, but also in medicine, in the development of new packaging and building materials and in the decomposition of plastic.
Around 10 artistic positions are on display as an essential part of the exhibition. Numerous artists around the world are working on topics related to microorganisms, in some cases in collaboration with scientists.

The exhibition is expected to move on to the Museum Mühlerama in Zurich from September 2026.