Featured in The Condensery’s historic bomb shelter, DE-compose is a single channel video work that explores some of the hidden ecological players, such as termites, microbes and fungi, that perform an intrinsic role in the health of our planet. Often regarded as pests, germs or as rotting decay, these valuable organisms create beauty, in their dynamic and transformative actions recycling nutrients to support new life.
The work was created using microscopic imagery of twelve termite genus from the ‘Wood, Termite, Fungi Project’‚ together with imagined microbe imagery projected over flora to create a vibrant and beautiful kaleidoscope of decay.
DE-compose exposes the complex dichotomy between humans and nature, inviting us to consider an imagined future where multi-species relationships are respected, understood and valued.
Image: Donna davis, DE-compose, (cropped still), 2021, single channel video, 4:30mins. Sound design by Luke Lickfold.