In an attempt to explore the concept of Design Fiction. In a workshop done with Kasia Molga at the Nieuwe Institute, Rotterdam. We had an sessions of discussions and brainstorming of how can we give biological entities an artistic expression in this age of creating awareness about climate change and environmental conservation.
Souvenirs for Nature: Maps and Moss
Mosses also known as bryophytes are one of the oldest living vegetation that has been on our planet.
Giving identity to one of the oldest fragments of nature that have accommodated to our ever increasing man-made constructions without any objections, place by place.
In an attempt to highlight the importance of such vegetation that grows silently within our man-manmade constructions, I would like to like to create a series of visuals that represent the moss and the location where it has been growing.
Bryophytes are the closest living relatives to the very first plants to make land on the planet, approximately 500 million years ago. Descended from freshwater green algae, these moss-like organisms had an outer biopolymer that protected them from temperature changes and constant UV radiation, allowing them to withstand the unique stresses of terrestrial life.
Moss Species Mnium Hornum observed under a microscope and few visuals were derived from the captured images.
A lot of these samples were collected from places in Rotterdam, some were from near the pavements of Het Nieuwe Institute and rest were taken from the Arboretum Trompenburg, Botanical Gardens. This determined how these plantations had adjusted to the spaces around them.
These maps were vectorised to highlight the important spaces and give a feeling of construction and man-made interventions. We have to know that Earth's naturally and organic growing structure have now made themselves comfortable within the paradigm of our geometric and mundane constructions. You can find them between pavements, on walls and in crevices and nooks and corner, wherever they could salvage a space to thrive.
Below are visuals that were made as an ode to the nature. Tu put together the micro of the nature and the macro of our constructions and how these have instead of impact each other in an unfavourable way, have survived by co-existing. These visuals were riso-printed as postcards.
This was a self-initiated project done under the guidance of designer Kasia Molga at a workshop facilitated by the Het Nieuwe Institute, Rotterdam.
Thank you
