Scott Gilbert proposed that ‘we are all lichens’ in his fascinating talk “We are all lichens: How symbiosis theory is re-configuring critical biological boundaries.” Being ignorant as to the life of lichens, I had to ask myself – exactly what are lichens? And what relationship do they have to these ideas of networking and symbiosis that Gilbert so eloquently describes?
Upon investigation I found that lichens are literally a symbiosis between algae and fungus, embodying the notion of a holobiont. The algae conducts photosynthesis and provides food for the fungus – which in turn provides habitat for the algae.[1] Thus, these combined beings make up what we know as ‘lichens.’ Humans, as it turns out, are holobionts too. We rely upon the bacteria, fungi and yeast in our bodies and they rely upon us to survive. It is this bacteria and us story that really excites me. Exactly how interconnected are we with the microbiota of our bodies?
Being a person with autoimmune diseases, I have been thinking about the medical applications of understanding the human body as a holobiont. What if I can tweak my microbiome colonies, and encourage them to act in concert with my human cells to function as remedies? This approach is in opposition to the typical diagnosis that the autoimmune system is “fighting itself.” The notion of holobionts represents a paradigm shift for biology and medical treatment. Instead of soldier immune cells defending the body against invaders, using military metaphors, Gilbert speaks of the soldiers becoming guardians who use a kind of “passport control” to allow “aliens” to enter our systems. Instead of immediate aggression, this collaborative, diplomatic model leads to questions such as: Who should the immune cells let in? Who can our bodies cooperate with, and who will never work within our own system? As Gilbert states, this analogy relates to current immigration policies – perhaps there can even be a kind of training period where incomers learn, and are taught to adjust to the local environmental needs, as opposed to simply barring anyone different.
“Blood Wars” (2011- ongoing), one of my art projects, is a literal competition between people’s white blood cells. Taking place in a petri dish, two different people’s white blood cells are pitted against each other. “Blood Wars” was modeled on the World Cup tournament, where each dueling couple competes, and the winner of that match plays off again in the next round. Fashioned on a sports’ ethos, this project examines the aggressive language still used with regards to the immune system and how our white blood cells “defend” us and “fight off” foreign invaders. But consider, as Gilbert has written: “If the immune system serves as the critical gendarmerie keeping the animal and microbial cells together, then to obey the immune system is to become a citizen of the holobiont…, what we suggest is not merely “tolerance” toward microbes, but active recruitment of symbiotic bacteria by the immune system.”[2] This idea of symbiotic bacteria is a paradigm shift for medical research in immunology – one that is based on cooperation and viewing our bodies as ecological systems. This squarely places our bodies in midst of other ecologic cycles and crises, creating communities as opposed to just individuals.
My current art project, “Gut Love”, will tackle questions of cooperation, creating different interactions with bacteria and provide new language to address these issues. Using a language of assistance, aid, and teamwork to tell the story of the power of abject poop, the project documents and engages in procedures such as fecal microbial transplantation as a means of looking at various cell communities and their needs. I will develop poop performances and real-time bacterial “displays” in glass gut-emulating environments, and image microscopic investigations of microbial communities. I propose that if we play our cards right, poop will become our next greatest resource and commodity!
I am pretty good at taking care of other beings in my life: my cats, dogs, and bees. But I am not always so good to myself. I often work too hard, and stress out about deadlines, successes and failures. If I start to think about my body more as a container, even a household, a place where conversation and negotiations happen all the time between myself and my other selves (my cells and my other cells), then it makes me realize that this notion of care and hospitality comes much more critically into play. Irina Aristarkhova has written beautifully about hospitality in her book Hospitality of the Matrix: Philosophy, Biomedicine, and Culture: “The ‘thinking together’ of the matrix and hospitality opens an alternative vision of self-other relations that can inform and redefine a new biomedical and cultural vocabulary.”[3] Gilbert speaks of the fact that we are not individuals, but rather islands waiting to be colonized. And if we can give ourselves over to participation, and to symbiosis, then we truly will all become lichens!
[1] Curiously, and concurrently, Lace Lichen or Ramalina menziesii, has just been voted as the representative state lichen for California, along with their state flower and state animal. Few other US states, if any, have specific lichens designated as their state lichen.
[2] “A Symbiotic View of Life: We Have Never Been Individuals” by Scott F. Gilbert, Jan Sapp, Alfred I. Tauber, Volume 87, No. 4 The Quarterly Review of Biology, December, 2012. Chicago University Press, p. 333.
[3] Aristarkhova, Irina. Hospitality of the Matrix: Philosophy, Biomedicine, and Culture, Colombia University Press, West Sussex, 2012, p. 9.