Alive, with Cerussite and Peppered Moth
3D printed PLA plastic, cast polyester resin, plywood and video projections
Architectural Collaborators: Palak Jhunjhunwala and Stratis Georgiu
Exhibition History: Whitworth, Manchester (2017) Mathaf, Doha (2018) Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2020)
This architectural installation speaks to the evolution of materials and living forms across alternative time epochs. The 3D printed structure represents crystal cerussite (which is the natural state of lead carbonate), while the light projections refer to the changing transparency of the peppered moth that occurred during the industrial revolution. In this period, the black and white peppered moth experienced industrial melanism, which means that its pigment became black for better camouflage in an environment polluted with soot residues. This temporary evolutionary strategy was reversed when pollution levels were reduced. In this work, these varied states of transformation explore the relationship between the changing invisible threads of ecology and compressed time. The work is now in the permanent collection of Mathaf, Doha.