Ineinander leben

Through an exploration of sourdough, the living microbes it contains, and the creation of a (survival) food for humans, the video work presents a ritualised act that invites fermentation into everyday life. The imagery alternates between three levels: microscopic images of life within the sourdough, the growth and movement of these microbes in time-lapse, and a ‘human-centred’ macro level that narrates the use of these microbes for human purposes in the context of bread-making.

The spoken word is superimposed over the sound of bubbling liquid (derived from the etymology of the word ‘fermentum’, from the Latin ‘ferveō’ (‘to boil, to simmer’)). The voice recites a prose passage that tells of the connection between microbes and humans, and of fermentation and life as they come together in sourdough bread.