Science Geek Creates Photographs Using Bacterial Growth

Anyone who's ever taken a microbiology class in college will have fond or more likely not so fond memories of growing disgusting bacteria and mold on various petri dishes. I always thought it was really cool that for many of the bacteria we worked with in college, whichever direction you smeared the culture onto the growth medium in your petri dish was typically how the bacteria would grow.

An artistic science geek called Zachary Copfer has figured out a way to make that little factoid work to his benefit by creating what he calls bacteriography. The artist came up with a way to grow photographs using a bacterial medium. The artist says that he invented a method to grow photographs using a bacteria and then came up with a way to preserve the petri dishes the bacteria making them safe to display and long-lasting.

The artist is trying to raise enough money to create and preserve his bacteriograph works to be featured in an actual exhibit and has turned to Kickstarter to raise enough money to create his artwork. As you see in the photograph, one of the bacteria prints the artist makes is the famous photograph of Einstein sticking out his tongue. If you like these cool bacteriographs, you can pledge money to get an photographic print of the bacteria art and if you pledge enough money can actually get one of the petri dishes.

To get an actual petri dish, you have to pledge $500 or more to get one of the small circular Einstein bacteriographs. A large square bacteriograph of Einstein that is numbered and signed and limited to only 10 prints will cost you five grand or more. The artist will even make a 9 x 9-inch bacteriograph of your own portrait for pledge of $10,000 or more.

[via Kickstarter]