'Communities within a Community - Life based on the Invisible' is a new artwork suspended above the lower ground floor of the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building at The University of Warwick. The set of five canvases are the result of a collaboration between the sculptor Suse Stoisser and Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Wellington.

Suse Stoisser provided her interpretation of microbiomes which colonize both ourselves and the environment, creating both movement and light in a constantly changing visualization.

The work was funded both by Professor Wellington and the University as an acknowledgement of the vital role microbiology has played in the evolution of the School of Life Sciences over the last 50 years.

Professor Elizabeth Wellington said:

"It was a privilege to work with a professional and talented artist and spend time talking about my research, microbiology and microbiomes. The canvases remind the viewer of the mostly unseen bacteria that are all around us and provide a reminder of the interactions between microorganisms. We are only now just appreciating the key role played by bacteria in our bodies and these unseen organisms are everywhere around us, on us and colonising the environment providing important ecosystem services."

Suse Stoisser commented:

"Images of bacteria and lichens and human shapes reappear on five translucent canvasses. The figures in motion and of different dimensions emerge from, as well as, blend in with the cellular backgrounds. Each individual part shows different images on both sides and is hanging independently from the ceiling, slightly rotating around its own axis. Simultaneously each is part of this group, a community.

The huge window fronts of the IBRB provide changing lights throughout the day. The translucency of the canvases enables natural light to be part of the installation, and provides a constantly changing view of what we see."