ELLIE RANDOLPH

     The human microbiome is at once minuscule and monstrous, benevolent and malicious, crucial but forgotten. This work pairs the tension between the host and the microbiome with a mirrored set of conflicts faced by female bodies and voices in the scientific space; equally imperative but often overlooked. Images encapsulate the anxiety, ignorance, and occasional coy pride that one wrestles with when reckoning the overwhelming presence of their microbial ecosystem and their femininity.

     This work was produced in 2019 before the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, but the piece has aged to reflect this tension between microbes and mankind, by exploring anxiety, defiance, and peace in this relationship.

     The pictures of microbes that you see projected and overlaid in this work were taken on the microscope by Jing Yan, Princeton graduate student (at the time), and now Assistant Professor of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology at Yale University. Thank you, Jing! Some pieces have representational microbes made from stickers, tape, and paint applied overtop of a printed photo.