Galling

Photos of final work courtesy of Kevin Mead

This body of work formed part of the Textile Study Group’s project DIS/rupt, responding to themes of disruption (global, ecological or personal).

‘Adapt or die’, ‘sink or swim’; species are already finding ways to survive as climatic conditions affect the habitats in which they live. Others are unable to adapt or move quickly enough. Many species construct cocoons or nests; structures that provide shelter, safety, or in which metamorphosis takes place. My initial thoughts were sparked by an interest in galls: the structures that plants create in response to disruptive activity by certain insects. I studied a variety of galls, exploring ways of constructing similar three-dimensional forms. I imagined what sort of structures might result from an evolution of insects adapting to make use of the plastics that persist in our environment. Using beach-combed plastics I created a series of imagined gall-like growths: future scenarios of animals interacting with their surroundings and available materials, possible new habitats, homes, structures or capsules of change.

The DIS/rupt catalogue is available to buy here.