For this work, I wanted three elements to be tangible: Eastern philosophy, computers, and living organisms. Mackerel and greenbottle flies have distinctive surface textures shaped by their relationships with the environment and other organisms, including predators. I associate this with the Buddhist idea of the mutual interpenetration of phenomena, and drew on Zen and calligraphy as ways of approaching such ideas.
Tarnished silver leaf represents Eastern philosophy. I varied its treatment to produce blurred, mackerel-like markings as well as sharper textures reminiscent of greenbottle flies. The characters are 3D-printed, with their layer lines deliberately left visible to retain a sense of the computer’s digital processes, and painted with calligraphy ink. The cockroaches used in the calligraphy are incorporated into the work as its living-organism element.