How microbes inspire art

The microbes that live on - and in - our bodies outnumber our own human cells by 10 to one.

They play a key role in keeping us healthy by helping with everything from digesting food to keeping us safe from cancer-causing chemicals.

Rebecca Harris is an artist based in the UK who is determined to celebrate these helpful bugs using the medium of embroidery.

She has been working with scientists to create a map of the different kinds of microbes on our skin, using different colours of French knots to represent different types of organisms.

Claudia Hammond went to get a closer look at this unusual piece of art.

  • Subsection
  • Published