When we think of museums,we think of art, sculptures, paintings or other ancient artefacts. But that is not what Haig Balian (the director of Artis Royal Zoo) thought for a museum concept.
He thought of displaying something that is ever present but never seen: Microbes. Very little is known about them, but there is scope for all the learners and the general public to partake in the knowledge through this platform, now known as Micropia, the only museum in the world devoted to microbes, located in the heart of Amsterdam.
Micropia comes to life
Micropia debuted on September 30, 2014, following twelve years of development and ten million euros of funding.
Haig Balian, devised the concept of exposing a diverse range of living bacteria in a “micro-zoo”all these years ago.
The Museum has become a testament to the emerging knowledge that the vast majority of microorganisms are not filth or disease carriers, but rather fundamental components of the world around and inside us.
Micropia defines itself not just as a museum, but also as a platform for bringing together the numerous players in microbiology. To begin, provides in-depth, content-rich knowledge through the staging of conferences and events.
The website not only provides tailored information for school and college students, but it is also a location where everyone who is interested may learn more about microbiology. It serves as an extension of the museum, providing additional information and activities on multiple levels.
The museum itself, provides a number of conference spaces that can accommodate both small and big groups. This enables the use of Micropia for conferences and events, letting attendees to participate and experience rather than just listen. Artis and third parties also organise events and activities that use Micropia and its different venues.
Now the question is how do they keep the microbes?
They began by investigating specific principles and prototypes. This took time since the microorganisms chosen for display had to be maintained alive in some circumstances, pose no danger to the public, and be sufficiently different from the other microbes on display.
Soon a plan was drawn and a basic laboratory was set up on one of the botanical gardens’ preserved Salm houses with various companies, universities, and institutions all pitching in to help. Extensive testing was carried out to determine whether exhibition displays employing certain species were feasible and scientists were frequently called upon to assist to develop techniques to keep them alive while avoiding the requirement for lab workers to be present at every display.
The starting of the story
The concept that led to the development of Micropia primarily revolved around microorganisms and their interaction with humans, about their unique features, how we can utilise them, and how they interact with plants and animals.
In 2005 a team was formed to develop the Micropia project with the plan to to build a museum separate from the zoo and botanical gardens on Artisplein that would be open to the public. The crew strength resided in the individuals’ different backgrounds: exhibition developers, architects, microbiologists, a project manager. As time passed, other personnel joined the team, including a specialist microbe photographer, authors, educators, and laboratory technicians, and display builders.
Micropia seeks to develop a favourable perception of microbes while also creating an international microbiology platform that brings together varied interest groups in order to bridge the gap between science and the general people.
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