Description

The project Metamorphonic is an exploration of an alternative relationship between humans and silkworms. Yuta Ikeya reflected on how the domestic silk moths (Bombyx mori) have been domesticated and used for our silk production while being regarded as sacred in Japanese sericulture.

A triad of habitats was designed for the different stages of their lifecycle, on which capacitive sensors pick up the insects’ movements to generate synthesiser tones. The improvised and ever-changing ambient soundscape reflects the species’ temporality. By receiving something uncontrollable in exchange for care, the project contests our utilitarian attitude towards this species. Simultaneously, the project critically questions whether we can form a completely mutualistic relationship with them.

*Design research project at Industrial Design master’s program at Eindhoven University of Technology (Supervisor: Bahareh Barati)

Press

Article by Bare Conductive

Article by 4TU Design United

Article by Theo Ploeg

Exhibition

Dutch Design Week 2022 (Design United Expo)

Guest lecture at CSB Amsterdam

Publication

Yuta Ikeya, Ron Wakkary, and Bahareh Barati. 2023. Metamorphonic: A Reflective Design Inquiry into Human-Silkworm Relationship. In Proceedings of the 2023 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference (DIS '23). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 808–819. https://doi.org/10.1145/3563657.3596053