Date of publication
Sep 14, 2026
Category:
Practice Insight
Inverting the planetarium: Symbiosis as an immersive performance for communicating microbial biodiversity loss
by
Prof. Remco Kort
,
Gustavo Trujillo Delgado
,
Maya Fridman
,
Wim van Egmond
,
Milo Grootjen
Communicating microbial biodiversity loss is challenging: the subjects are invisible, often linked with disease and disgust, and lack the appeal of macroscopic conservation icons. We describe Symbiosis, an immersive performance integrating live cello, electronic composition, videomicrography, and full-dome planetarium projection with a narrative on the evolutionary connection between humans and gut microbes. We reflect on five iterations between July 2023 and May 2026: a premiere at the First European Planetary Health Congress, three adaptations for documentary, music-festival, and public-festival audiences, and a forty-minute version coupled to the launch of the Feed Your Microbes citizen science campaign, framing dietary fibre and fermented foods as the practical route to restoring gut microbiota. An embedded evaluation of the final staging provides preliminary evidence that the work shifts audience familiarity, attitudes, and action intention. Our central contribution is the inversion of the planetarium itself: turning a dome built to show the cosmos inward onto the microbial world, so that the venue becomes part of the scientific message. We offer this as a transferable strategy for planetary health communication.