SEE THE UNSEEN

Micropia

On view

picture overview of the petridishes part of the exhibition

Every human carries two kilos of bacteria, on your skin, in your gut, and all around you. These microbes keep you alive, yet you never see them. So how do you design an exhibition that reveals this hidden world? We didn’t just want to explain microbes. We wanted visitors to see them, sense them, feel surrounded by them. Interactive installations light up, respond, and come alive as you move through the space. You trigger reactions. You uncover patterns. You step into their world. Instead of observing from a distance, visitors become part of the microbial ecosystem. The experience turns the invisible into something you can hear, touch, and almost believe is watching you back.

Location: Amsterdam (NL)
Client: Artis
Year: 2014
Service: Concept, spatial design, graphic design, creative direction

All eyes on microbes

Since Micropia is part of Artis, we set out to create an experience where visitors could come face-to-face with real, living microbes. We wanted them to witness these organisms as they move, grow, and change, alive and in real time. Kossmanndejong took the lead in making that vision tangible. We initiated and directed the entire commissioning process, bringing microbiologists into the design team and ensuring the microbes could be cared for on-site. We coordinated closely with scientists, designers, and technical specialists to align every detail, creative, spatial, and scientific. Our role was to translate complex microbiological systems into a powerful spatial story. We made sure the living content wasn’t hidden behind glass, but placed front and center.

picture of the video wall, view from the staircase

picture of the reproductive wheel, interactive exhibit

An inverse laboratory

We designed Micropia to feel nothing like a lab. We replaced the expected white walls and sterile lighting with a dark, theatrical environment that sharpens focus and sparks curiosity. The only light comes from the exhibits themselves, each one carefully placed to spotlight the living microbes. We built the space around interaction. Visitors scan their own bodies to reveal their invisible microbial passengers. They playfully discover how many microbes get exchanged during a french kiss. In an arcade-style game, they fend off cold-causing bacteria. Every design decision, from lighting and layout to storytelling and interactivity, was aimed at creating immersion.