The “Plastisphere” refers to the microbial habitat that colonizes plastic particles in aquatic environments. It was first described in 2013 by marine biologists Linda Amaral Zettler, Tracy Mincer, and Erik Zettler. Among the organisms identified were bacterial colonies, diatoms, fungi, and ciliates. As plastic fragments into ever smaller pieces and takes a very long time to degrade, these microorganisms can travel vast distances.
Live from Plastisphere focuses on microplastic pollution in Karlsruhe’s river Alb. A polypropylene particle collected from the river was magnified 1,000 times using scanning electron microscopy. Composed of 104 individual images, the resulting photocollage in the display window of Museum beim Markt stands in for the billions of plastic particles that travel through rivers into the oceans every day. At the collection site along the Alb, a signal flag marks the measured microplastic level, making it clear that local rivers and streams are also contaminated with microplastics.
SEM-Imaging: Markus Ernstberger, Antonio Bulgheroni, JRC Karlsruhe
Alb measurements: Katrin Schuhen, Wasser 3.0 gGmbH
Graphic design: Rebecca Zink and Severin Geißler
Part of the exhibition Media art is here (2026).
Exhibition dates: 13.08.2026 – 13.09.2026
Location: Museum beim Markt and Fischtreppe am Thomaswehr (Grünwinkel)
Supported by the UNESCO City of Media Arts Karlsruhe Project Funding Program for Media Arts 2025.