Phylum Ctenophora

The delicate balance of the natural ecosystem are increasingly altered by human activities, with devastating effects on biodiversity, the environment and human life itself. Following human intervention, various species accidentally or intentionally arrive in locations far from their original habitat. The phenomenon is known as the “tropicalization of the Mediterranean” and is linked to global warming which plays a decisive role in the penetration and settlement of these species. Mistaken for jellyfish, ctenophores are marine organisms considered the oldest animal group that has made its appearance on Earth,  and in recent years  have become one of the new cases of invasion. The excessive harmful presence of ctenophores is a direct consequence of climate change due to the impact of the human being on the natural ecosystem, as well as the progressive desertification of the oceans caused by poor management of wastes, in particular plastic ones and their consequent dispersion. For this reason, plastic is facing a denigration campaign that does not put the right attention on the real problem that lies in its overproduction and incorrect disposal, and the result of which, however, is the mere demonization of the material itself.
Phylum Ctenophora expresses a profoundly critical re-evaluation in a parallelism that emphasizes both the qualities of the animals from which it takes its name and the material that has become invasive with the aim of clearing its negative meanings and enhancing its positive aspects. The project is proposed as an innovative artistic installation of bio-inspired lamps that are based on the transfer of biological optical qualities, such as the iridescence and bioluminescence observed in the Ctenophores. These characteristics are reworked from an artistic and critical perspective, guided by the desire to bring together design, art and science  to highlight how waste elements today are strongly denigrated because made of plastic, they can become a valuable resource in a consumer society like the contemporary one.
The aim is to connote a new local identity characterized by an iridescent and changing aesthetic to the day and night, capable of welding in a dialectical debate, the role of art, design and science with production from the artisanal scale to that of big business to promote a circular economy. Against the standardized languages of globalization, the project proposes an alternative point of view deeply rooted in the territory, based on the typically Mediterranean values of mutability, hybridization, fragility, discontinuity and resilience. Through the study of biomimicry, lighting design converges towards new sustainable developments focused on the enhancement of materials and LED light sources and evoking the iridescence and bioluminescence of ctenophores, through new perceptual qualities that transform the atmosphere into a poetic and magical dimension.  The lamps are made through an innovative patented process that involves modifying the chromatic quality of the LED light in a timely manner, enhancing the physical properties of the plastic.
Through this hybrid process, plastic rejection is charged with symbolic value and obtains a new aesthetic with natural features: branched and chromatically changing, capable of acting on the emotional state of the user / spectator and stimulating visual and mental relaxation.
Recyclable plastic waste – deriving from post-consumer waste and / or industrial processing – are modified to obtain a series of iridescent textures and porosities emphasized by a blue phosphorescent texture inside the  blown glass diffuser that absorbs energy from natural light and artificial light, returning it to the dark autonomously when the lamps are off, thus allowing energy to be saved.