Welwitschia

(push-me-pull-you)

The Welwitschia Mirabilis and the Welwitschia Bug are living together in the African desert, balancing amidst the delicate interplay of entanglement and autonomy. A vulnerable dance that continues to proof its relevance for evolution. The bugs are often found in pairs, shuffling side-to-side in a dynamic of push-and-pull attraction, while the plants supply protection from the harsh sunlight. The Welwitschia sap is important food for the bugs, and in return these creatures help the flowers survive through pollination of the seeds. However, the bugs can also spread a fungus that can be harmful to the development of healthy seeds. It is an ambivalent relationship, with the risk of becoming a depleting symbiotic entanglement.

The Art of Living Together

The Art of Living Together is my ongoing series translating the natural phenomenon of symbiosis* within evolution. My inspiration was ignited when traveling in Angola and South Africa, where I started researching the fascinating intermingling between different species in their development. The interaction amidst these seemingly opposite forces is emphasized through the correlation of the geometric and the organic, the abstract and the detailed, the digital and the tactile, the East and the West, the North and the South, and the old and the new. When the fragile reciprocity is precisely balanced, these dissimilar worlds smoothly collide, merge and enforce each other.

*Symbiosis is a long-term biological association between two organisms of different species. The organisms, called symbionts, can be either in a mutualistic, commensalistic, competitive or parasitic relationship; interactions which can be beneficial, neutral or harmful for either one or both species.

From digital to tactile

I digitally transformed Welwitschia into 3D reliefs and textile structures by implementing ancestral tufting techniques. The tapestry is handmade by artisans in India with the utmost care. New Zealand Wool of the highest quality is used to create the durable and soft results, and yarns are coloured with natural chemical-free ingredients.

specs

artwork © Tjitske Storm – photos and video © Todd Merrill Studio and Tjitske Storm

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