Microcosm #96

2024

Plastic recycling/Bioart

Quarantine and self-isolation marked the beginning of prolonged stress for humanity. Even then, many people no longer felt safe. The danger at that time was intangible, but now it has taken on a physical form. While safety is the presence of controllable stress as a necessary stimulus for development, danger is expressed in uncontrollable stress of unpredictable intensity and duration, making it very difficult to adapt to. 

 The object represented is a metaphorical representation of a safe space. A safe place is a condition where people, animals, and the environment are not exposed to threats, harm, or danger. This implies the presence of measures and actions aimed at preventing potential threats or harmful situations. 

The cocoon-like bone lattice structure becomes a safe space that slowly unfolds, supporting the miracle of new life. Moss is a symbiont, a precursor of plant life, and a plant guardian: it retains not only moisture but also supports the development of their root system. It thus supports and strengthens the plant in the womb of the cocoon. As the recycled plastic cocoon gradually takes root in the ground among the moss, the moss supports the slowly developing living plant at the heart of the cocoon, breathing life and stability into this ecosystem.

It’s a perfect form that links the living and inanimate together. The sculpture, printed on a 3D printer from recycled plastic, resembles a complex entanglement of roots. It is filled with moss and placed in a glass dome with a minimalist base, overgrown with moss, providing growth for a tangerine seed. The use of 3D printing technology drastically expands the possibilities of traditional art, reflecting the balance of technology and nature, living and inanimate, development and stability.