Recently, more in-depth calculations have "upgraded" our humanness, showing that about 50 % of cells being human (Sender et al., 2016a,b). Drawing on microbiologists' claims that 90 per cent of cells that constitute our body are not human but bacterial (Savage, 1977 Brown, 2010), we can begin to visualize the human body as a complex ecosystem. One can even ponder how human we really are, when taking into account that microorganisms cover the entire outer surface of our body, including our skin, gut, vagina and mouth (The Human Microbiome Project Consortium, 2012). We are 50% human With the help of microbiologists, humans are slowly coming to the understanding that our bodies are ecosystems rich in biodiversity, which contain complex societies of microbes living in and on our bodies. Fifty Percent Human is a multidisciplinary artistic research project that aims to reshape our understanding of the human body and its environment as well as to explore possibilities for conscious coexistence in order to bridge the gap between science and society. By artistic means, artists help us to understand how microbial research topics are inevitably affected by societal influences, including (health) politics, economics and the arts. Consequently, along with scientists, artists have been inspired by the microbiome: transforming it in to tangible artefacts in order to critically question, reflect on and break down the barrier between humans and their microcohabitants. The Human Microbiome, as well as the exploration of the microorganisms inhabiting the human body, are not only integral to the field of microbiology but represent an intrinsic part of all human beings.
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