Blind Spot is a “transformative” intervention, a “living” artwork, on the façade of a municipal building in Vienna's district Heiligenstadt. With it, the Dusts Institute draws our attention to microorganisms – such as algae and fungi – in the city, which are generally regarded as pollution or signs of decay, and initiates a fundamental qualitative change in this perception.

Within a circle of ten meters in diameter, the thin layer of microorganisms, also known as biopatina, usually found on facades is removed. On the one hand, the focus is on making overlooked life forms in our cities visible and, on the other, on questioning conventional urban maintenance practices using artistic research, architecture and geomicrobiology: What should the exterior surfaces of buildings look like in times of climate crisis and why?

Dusts Institute is dedicated to exploring the complex relationship between human activity and the environment. Through interdisciplinary research, immersive installations and public engagement, its members aim to raise awareness of environmental issues and drive transformative change towards a more sustainable future. “By removing biopatina from a single building, we want to encourage people to learn to appreciate these microorganisms instead of eradicating them. It's about encouraging a shift from a cleanliness-based model of urban maintenance to one that values biodiversity and resilience,” says project co-originator Adam Hudec.

The project Blind Spot is part of the artistic research initiative Epidermitecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna (under the direction of Michelle Howard and Katja Sterflinger). It is accompanied by a comprehensive educational program.