Intrigued by the way cells autonomously regulate their fait we strive to understand and visualize processes that are at the basis of life. Although extensive knowledge exists about the molecular players, their structure, and their respective interactions, in many cellular processes the spatio-temporal organization of all the players plays an essential role. In our studies we concentrate on the organization of chromatin, the ubiquitous protein-DNA complex that forms the structural basis of DNA condensation in all eukaryotic organisms, and on the nanometric organization of the plasmamembrane that plays an ubiquitous role in cellular signaling. The physical mechanisms governing the organization that is at the heart of these processes are still largely unknown. We develop and use modern biophysical techniques down to the single-molecule level to unravel the physical basis of life.