Symbiotic Soaps (2023)
Soap is used to clean ourselves, but what is clean? Is it to get rid of foreign bodies? Why do we want to eliminate foreign bodies if we are intertwined with these bodies in symbiosis?The soap is shaped like the symbiotic structure of lichen: photobiont orbs intertwined in mycobiont strings. By washing your hands with this soap, you can interact with this structure of interconnectedness. Our microbiome, the microbial ecosystem in and on our body, is vital to the well-being of body and mind. Without our microbiome, we would not exist. Are we our microbes? Are our microbes us? Can we still see ourselves as individuals, considering we are a multi-species composite? Are we all lichen?
While leaving traces of yourself on the soap, the soap leaves traces on your skin. Instead of using antibacterial soap, this soap benefits the microbes on your skin with its probiotic qualities, nourishing your symbiotic relationships while washing your hands. With this soap, I hope to contribute to a more symbiotic view of “self.”
