Reverence for Life, Part 1: Archaea
Statement:
The mindset that Earth exists merely as a means to humanity’s superior ends prevails in Western society. Within the last century, a revolution of awareness has occurred as links between humankind and the environment are better understood and ecological concepts like biocentrism and animal rights grow in acceptance. It is no longer obscure to conclude that all life, multi- and unicellular, is deserving of reverence. I take great interest in studying how we hierarchize life and embrace these current views of universal respect. Therefore, I have begun researching the optimal method to sculpt organisms from the three Domains of Life, the highest taxonomic ranks under which all life exists, established by biophysicist Carl Woese: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryota. This exhibit focuses solely on Domain Archaea and aims to increase awareness and respect for this overlooked, little understood domain identified just 40 years ago. These sculptural forms of Archaeal species document the journey of creating representations of these unseen yet ubiquitous creatures.
Glass produces remarkable feelings of visual wonder with its reflective, light-bending qualities that seem to reveal something beyond its physical nature. I juxtapose it with metal to evoke a sense of fragility and permanence in my sculptures. Through an enlarged microbial form and these two materials, I hope to stimulate interest for Archaeal organisms. Development began by using sugar glass and hardware cloth. I later moved to using silica glass and steel because it yields a pristine, more structurally sound result that establishes a stronger sense of permanence and more light play.
This work is influenced by Luke Jerram’s efforts to bring new understanding to microbes through his “Glass Microbiology” series. These works make viewers struggle between their aversion to viruses and an admiration for their actual jewel-like appearance in a method I find particularly successful. Ideologies of environmentalism, such as biocentrism, have also impacted much of my work by informing what subject matter I present.
The mindset that Earth exists merely as a means to humanity’s superior ends prevails in Western society. Within the last century, a revolution of awareness has occurred as links between humankind and the environment are better understood and ecological concepts like biocentrism and animal rights grow in acceptance. It is no longer obscure to conclude that all life, multi- and unicellular, is deserving of reverence. I take great interest in studying how we hierarchize life and embrace these current views of universal respect. Therefore, I have begun researching the optimal method to sculpt organisms from the three Domains of Life, the highest taxonomic ranks under which all life exists, established by biophysicist Carl Woese: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryota. This exhibit focuses solely on Domain Archaea and aims to increase awareness and respect for this overlooked, little understood domain identified just 40 years ago. These sculptural forms of Archaeal species document the journey of creating representations of these unseen yet ubiquitous creatures.
Glass produces remarkable feelings of visual wonder with its reflective, light-bending qualities that seem to reveal something beyond its physical nature. I juxtapose it with metal to evoke a sense of fragility and permanence in my sculptures. Through an enlarged microbial form and these two materials, I hope to stimulate interest for Archaeal organisms. Development began by using sugar glass and hardware cloth. I later moved to using silica glass and steel because it yields a pristine, more structurally sound result that establishes a stronger sense of permanence and more light play.
This work is influenced by Luke Jerram’s efforts to bring new understanding to microbes through his “Glass Microbiology” series. These works make viewers struggle between their aversion to viruses and an admiration for their actual jewel-like appearance in a method I find particularly successful. Ideologies of environmentalism, such as biocentrism, have also impacted much of my work by informing what subject matter I present.