BIOGRAPHY
Mellissa Fisher is a British artist based in Kent; her work explores the relationships between nature, science and the human body. Past works have involved using casts of her own body and the bacteria that live on it to visualise the invisible world on our skin. She graduated in 2016 from the MA Art and Science course at Central Saint Martins and has since undertaken major commissions for The Eden Project and the BBC.
In 2016 Fisher was commissioned by the BBC to create a large scale microbial sculpture which formed a central theme of the documentary Michael Mosley verses the Superbugs first shown on BBC4 in May 2017 and has since been broadcast internationally. works collaboratively with scientists and leads a range of participatory workshops and public talks exploring art and science.
Fisher originally trained as an Illustrator at The University of Westminster. Thanks to the interdisciplinary Art and Science Broad Vision Project that ran through 2010-15, she became particularly curious in the microscopic and microbiological world, which has led her to projects researching areas of science such as mycology, plant biology, immunology, neurology and at present works collaboratively with scientists to respond to ground-breaking research in science technology.
Throughout the last 10 years, Fisher has explored the microscopic world in nature and cell biology in collaboration with scientist Professor Mark Clements who worked with her on all microbial projects and she continues to work collaboratively with various scientists across the UK and internationally working on projects highlighting invisible illnesses.
PUBLICATIONS
Disability Arts online - Unseen and Unheard – The Hidden Worlds of Mellissa Monsoon, October 2023
Labiotech - Culturing Bacteria in a Lifesize Human Body Sculpture, August 2018
Labiotech - A Self-Portrait of the Microbes that Live on our Skin, January 2018
Nouse - Art Grows On You, February 2017
E-Squared Magazine - Issue 1, May 2016
University of Westminster - Westminster Graduate Showcases Bacterial Sculptures... May 2016
Art The Science - Works, May 2016
Broadly - Living Art: Meet the Woman Making Sculptures With Bacteria from Her Skin, April 2016
Huffington Post, Artist Creates Sculptures From Bacteria Growing On Her Face, April 2016
Interalia Magazine, Emerging Ideas, September 2015