Migaloo Home Team participated in Surge 2018 with the work Irreversible Impact. The panel was designed to be a soft lightsource. Resin cylinders with silkwork cocoons are placed in such a way to quell the light coming from the LED spots tob e gentle tot he human eye. Irreversible Impact is made of up-cyckled materials. The silkworm cocoons inside the resin cylinders are the organic waste material from the silk production process.
The silkworm is the larva of caterpillar of the silk moth. It is an economically important insect, being a primary producer of silk. After so many generations of slavery this domestic insect is closely dependent on humans for reproduction. As a result of millenniums of selective breeding the albino caterpillar has lost its color and no longer has the ability to fly. To produce 1 kg of silk material you have to kill over 6000 larvas. The human impact on the silkworm’s history is irreversible.
By exploring the history of the silkworm larva we created a contemporary silkworm cocoon counter display, which shows altered DNA of our planet. Missing pieces creating dark areas show how our daily activities leave eternal fingerprints on the Earth’s climate.
Migaloo team walked away from the Surge 2019 final gala with the People’s Choice Award. It was a truly commendable win as this was the result of two weeks of intense public voting on the Love That Design portal. We were at the edge of our seat as the competition was fierce.