Project Description

Signal_Crayfish was commissioned as a book work for "Interspecies Futures [IF]," the first survey of bookworks by international practitioners from bio-art and speculative design fields. The project examined the invasive signal crayfish species, cataloguing its chemical communication abilities in comparison to human technologies like Wi-Fi.

The work took the form of an artist's book featuring a 3D-printed signal crayfish sculpture on the cover. The publication explored the species' survival capabilities and cross-distance chemical communication systems, positioning the crayfish as superior to human technological networks in this comparison.

Process

The book was commissioned during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as part of a group of works that examined interspecies entanglement and human vulnerability. The project involved both the creation of a physical artist's book and a 3D-printed sculptural element integrated into the cover design.

The work functioned as both catalogue and speculative field guide, examining the invasive species through the lens of technological comparison. The project questioned human privilege by highlighting the sophisticated communication systems of non-human species that operate beyond human perception.

Results

Signal_Crayfish was exhibited at Center for Book Arts from April to June 2021 as part of "Interspecies Futures [IF]," curated by Oscar Salguero. The exhibition was the first public survey of bookworks focused on alternative interspecies possibilities and featured artists working at the intersection of speculative fiction and bio-art.

The work was reviewed in The Brooklyn Rail and included in a panel discussion about interspecies publications created during the pandemic. The project contributed to the establishment of the Interspecies Library, the first archive dedicated to artists' books focused on more-than-human worlds. The exhibition catalogue was designed in a sci-fi paperback style and published by backbonebooks.