A new interactive and immersive ‘Microbe Zoo’ will be one of the star attractions at this year’s Norwich Science Festival. The installation has been created jointly by the Centre for Microbial Interactions, a network that supports and promotes the work of the microbiology community across the campus which has over 100 microbiology research groups, one of the largest clusters on one site in the world, and the SAW (Science Art Writing) Trust, an education charity that uses cross-disciplinary methods to bring science topics into everyday lives and language, both based at Norwich Research Park,
The Microbe Zoo consists of large scale models through which festival goers will be taken on a guided tour by expert ‘zoo keepers’, who, in reality, are all scientists working at Norwich Research Park, where they will learn all about the role that microbes play in our world by visiting some of the habitats they live in. Around 80 scientists will be playing the role of ‘zoo keepers’ for the duration of the festival. The installation includes a soil tunnel, a gut tunnel, a mock café and gift shop (and even a poo deposit!). There will also be interactive games to play, soundscapes and videos to watch.
And before people can enter the zoo they will have to be ‘shrunk’ to a size where they can actually see the microbes that might be bacteria, fungi, viruses and algae.
The idea for the Microbe Zoo emerged from a conversation between Sam Rowe, Project Manager for the Centre for Microbial Interactions and Jenni Rant, Programme Manager for the SAW Trust on how to engage more people in science and specifically microbiology.
Sam said, “A few years ago, Prof Lindsay Hall, then of the Quadram Institute, worked with the SAW Trust to build a model gut for the festival that enabled people to walk inside and see how microbes affected our physical and mental health. It proved to be a real winner with visitors so we decided that we could do something similar to showcase the sheer scale of what microbes are up to in real life, only this time bigger and more ambitious.”
Sam and Jenni teamed up with an artist-led organisation in Great Yarmouth called originalprojects; to get the zoo construction underway. It works with local contemporary artists and communities to put on exhibitions, create installations, provide workshops for artists and create opportunities for artists to collaborate.
Jenni said, “We were very keen with this project to ensure that we engage with communities that perhaps Norwich Research Park hasn’t had previous relationships with. Great Yarmouth is a vibrant hub for contemporary artists so we had no hesitation in approaching originalprojects; to seek their help. We have been delighted with the level of commitment shown by the lead artists working on it and they have done a great job of bringing our vision to life .”
Funding for the Microbe Zoo project was received from the John Innes Foundation and Norwich Freemen’s Charity and further vital support has been forthcoming from all of the Norwich Research Park Partners – Anglia Innovation Partnership, Earlham Institute, John Innes Centre, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Quadram Institute, The Sainsbury Laboratory and the University of East Anglia.
Roz Bird, CEO of Anglia Innovation Partnership, the campus management company for Norwich Research Park, said, “Norwich Research Park has more microbiologist on one campus than anywhere else in the UK, probably Europe. The Centre of Microbial Interactions is doing a great job of raising the profile of this unique capability and is delivering activities and events to promote these expertise and knowledge. The Microbe Zoo is a brilliant example of the way in which art and creativity can bring science to life and make it an enjoyable and memorable experience for all. I am sure it is going to be a big hit at the Norwich Science Festival.”
