Rethinking Colours
inception in 2017, VTL cooperates with the bacteriograph and bacteria hunter Erich Schopf from Vienna, Austria. Erich has accumulated a huge treasure trove of different, intensely coloring bacteria over 20 years. We invited Erich for an interview to tell us how he discovered his passion for collecting bacteria and what he learned from working with microorganisms.
Julia Kaleta is a sustainable colour researcher on a mission to create a compendium of shades and tones made with plants and bacteria.
Have you wondered which other colours are there to be found in microorganisms? Let’s have a look at a bacterium that shines bright pink to blood-red. It has intrigued scientists and artists alike for more than a century and has maybe affected human history for much longer!
Following our introduction to natural sources of dyes, let’s take a closer look at a specific example: a long-known family of purple bacteria called Chromobacterium. Read along to find out how it was discovered and where to find it.
Natural dye resources are generally associated with plants, flowers, fruits, some people might think even beyond that. Latest developments in biotech research, however, add algae, fungi and bacteria to the list of resources for natural, biodegradable pigments.
Bacteria were first discovered and scientifically studied in the 17th century, and although many hundred years have passed since then, and much has been done in research and science, it is believed that the majority of bacteria found on our planet are neither known nor described.