CREATURES OF LIGHT . 2022

Creatures of Light” is an exploratory piece and illuminated sculpture that highlights the delicate lichen ecology.

The work transforms wool offcuts into a lichen-inspired interactive sculpture that goes beyond function to encourage people to consider the benefits of circular design. Lichens are a biomarker for both climate change and life. They can survive in harsh environments, but not in cities. 

This demonstrates that we, as humans, need to think of making things differently and help save the environment.

Creatures of Light” is composed of six spheres stacked vertically and coated in crumbly black plaster to recall rock lava and wool offcuts tapestry that replicates the lichens' surface.

Lichens may have been the first colonising organisms to make their way onto land from the water, changing the planet's atmosphere and paving the way for modern plants. As they began to grow on newly cooled lava flows, they created a more hospitable setting for other organisms to thrive.

Lichens are a composite organism formed by fungus and cyanobacteria living in a symbiotic relationship. The photosynthetic cyanobacteria are responsible for the fungus's UV protection and under ultraviolet light, it reveals a secret world of vivid colours.

Anthropogenic air pollutants lead lichens to die and the cyanobacteria-coloured surface fades to purplish and dark tonalities. “Creatures of Light” reveal the lichen's dying surface when exposed to a black light. The fluorescence of the lichens is highlighted when shining a torch on the surface of the spheres and fabric edges. The artwork looks brighter at the top, but as you travel your gaze down the piece, the vibrancy fades and it becomes darker.

The gloomy dripping appearance of the totemic structure depicts the beauty of an existence that is exhausted. As plants go extinct as a result of climate change, some species of robust lichens may be the only food we can find on the planet. In this sense, creatures of light are a poetic prediction for our lives to come.