2009
In collaboration with Sascha Pohflepp. Illustrations by Siôn Ap Tomos.
Seven watercolour paintings and one C-type print on aluminum.
Edition of 10 + 1 AP.
After the cost of energy had made global shipping of raw materials and packaged goods unimaginable, only the rich could afford traditional, mass-produced commodities.
Synthetic biology enabled us to harness our natural environment for the production of things. Coded into the DNA of a plant, product parts grow within the supporting system of the plant's structure. When fully developed, they are stripped like a walnut from its shell or corn from its husk, ready for assembly.
Shops evolved into factory farms, with licensed products grown where sold. Large items take time to grow and are more expensive while small ones are more affordable. The postal service delivers lightweight seed-packets for domestic manufacturers.
Using biology for the production of consumer goods has reversed the idea of industrial standards, introducing diversity and softness into a realm that once was dominated by heavy manufacturing.
The product shown here is the Herbicide Sprayer, an essential commodity used to protect delicate engineered horticultural machines from older nature that can naturally defend itself.
Installation view, Neues Museum, Nuremberg, 2020. Photograph: Max Schachtner.
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