As a modern society we seem to try to exist separately to the Earth’s natural ecosystems. Even in death were burn remains or seal them into caskets, delaying natural decay and return to the carbon cycle. We appear to believe ourselves separate and superior to the natural world. We believe it is our right to monetise the resources even those that are sentient.
The word parasite derives from a Greek term meaning “to eat at another’s table”. The current inhabitants of the Earth embody this definition; we take from the host and make no payment in return. There is no symbiosis.
My narrative throughout my work is that the earth is the host organism and the parasites are the devouring and consuming humans. Ultimately, in biology, the parasite will kill and then die with the host
The Symbolism of the Parasite
I used medical images for inspiration and visited a number of medical museums and galleries as well as operational facilities in the UK and Japan. Inspiration came from tapeworms, cancer and flukes at the microscopic and gross level. Colours were based on cytological stains such as Geimsa and Papanicolaou.
The emotional inspiration was manga /amine driven. The expression humanities failures and the harm caused by the drive for individual gain. Specifically Neon genesis evangelion’s description of a dystopian future and Junji ito’s revenge and human punishment. These drew me to themes of mutation, gore and otherwise warping the body alongside the direct reference point of literal parasites such as tapeworms.
ILLUSTRATOR FLATS
MENSWEAR 0606
Menswear 0606 was an independent show directed and organised by students from LCF separate to the university. 20 students showed their work and so we limited it to 4 looks per participant. The project was entirely crowd funded and the excess revenue we made was donated to the charity MIND.
PARASITE PRINTS
