13.10.2026: Katja STERFLINGER (Wien): As time goes by - on the ephemerality of art and cultural heritage under the influence of (micro)biology, HS 31.11, Institut für Biologie, Bereich Pflanzenwissenschaften, Schubertstraße 51, 17:00 Uhr
Microorganisms are important agents of alteration and deterioration of cultural heritage, but they are also increasingly recognized as sources of information on the history, production, use and conservation of cultural objects. Classical microbiological approaches combined with molecular methods, including genomics, metagenomics and transcriptomics, now enable the characterization of microbial communities and their functional interactions with heritage materials. At the same time, developments in contemporary art are fundamentally changing the relationship between biology and conservation. Organic materials, plants, microorganisms and processes of growth, transformation and decay have increasingly become integral components of artistic practice. In process-based, ephemeral and bioart works, biological change may constitute an intentional and conceptually essential part of the artwork. These developments require microbiologists and conservation scientists to move beyond the traditional role of diagnosing biodeterioration and to contribute to the conceptualization, realization and long-term monitoring of living and processual artworks. A further shift is emerging in the assessment of microbial growth on architectural surfaces. Rather than defining biopatinas exclusively as unwanted deterioration, current interdisciplinary research investigates their ecological and functional potential. Our projects address microbial colonization of architectural surfaces and explore possible contributions to particulate matter retention, pollutant degradation, surface cooling and CO₂ exchange, while simultaneously questioning established aesthetic and maintenance concepts. Climate change and the associated reconsideration of environmental standards in museums and collections add further urgency to these questions. Wider climate corridors require a more precise understanding of microbial growth limits and improved early-warning systems. These developments illustrate an expanding role for microbiology in heritage science, encompassing biodeterioration research, molecular analysis, environmental monitoring and active collaboration in contemporary artistic practice. Future conservation strategies will increasingly depend on interdisciplinary approaches integrating microbiology, material science, conservation, architecture and building physics.
