Our clients requested something that represented their family unit as a whole with extended family and pets included, from there we found our concept. Bacterioptica breaks from design norms, a light fixture outfitted with petri dishes. It is alive in a very literal sense: it cultivates, distributes and illuminates the bacterial life of its family members by way of a branching assembly of metal rods, glass petri dishes and fiber optics. Step by-step instructions guide the family through procedures to experiment with and prepare each bacterial sample for its place in the chandelier.