Biota is a porcelain sculptural installation employing the morphology of the sea sponge as a matrix. Arranged on low-standing Plexiglas platforms, the sculptures appear as if they were dead coral. In the sea, such exoskeleton frameworks signal the degradation of coral reefs throughout the world and their support for diverse species’ habitats. These sculptures act as fossils commemorating the time reefs were living entities. The details of the porcelain sculptures speak to the intricate cooperation of cells working together. Sea sponges are ancient forms of life, arising hundreds of millions of years ago as one of the first multi-cellular animals.
While ceramics is an ancient technology, the attached figurines are rapid prototyped sculptures that are coated in silver leaf. The figurines represent humankind’s foray into figurative sculpture such as the Venus of Willendorf.