Another Forbidden Treasure. 2024. Jacquard Loom Tapestry. 166.5 X 140cm.

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Depicting mutated flower-insect hybrids, these images showcase a striking fusion of nature and artifice, where petals merge into insect wings and stems twist into antennae. Each unsettling, uncanny form emerges from AI trained on multiple generations of flower species, evoking the spectre of synthetic biology. This process raises profound questions about the future of natural evolution. The hybrids are woven onto Jacquard loom tapestries, referencing the software lineage that began with the loom’s punchcard system, a precursor to modern computing. These images draw parallels to 17th-century still life flower paintings, which functioned as portents, subtly warning of life’s transience. Here, the fusion of organic and synthetic foretells a new era of biological manipulation, blending past and future omens into a singular vision.