Exuvia

Exuvia (plural: exuviae) is a term used in biology to describe the remains of an exoskeleton that is left after an arthropod (insect, crustacean or arachnid) has moulted. The exuvia of an animal can be important to biologists as it can often be used identify the species of the animal and even its sex.
from WIKIPEDIA

The imago is the last stage of development of an insect, after the last ecdysis of an incomplete metamorphosis, or after emergence from pupation where the metamorphosis is complete. As this is the only stage which is sexually mature, and has functional wings in winged species, the imago is often referred to as the adult stage.
from WIKIPEDIA

Dragonflies during the long time they use to live in their larval form – in some cases this state could go on many years - they are exceptional predators of other larvae and insects, we realized about their existences just when - moulting and leaving their old nature - they live few days in a state of graceful ephemeral euphoria.

EXUVIA is a mixed media installation by Alessandro Capozzo and Katja Noppes. It consists in a semitransparent synthetic material mould of a desktop computer (connected to its peripherals) and an LCD display with an epoxidic resin layer mounted on. A dragonfly wings representation has been imprinted into the resin by several analogue processes. A semi generative software is visualized on the prepared LCD display: a set of attractors “drive” an agents flow through wings lines of force. Interaction between an analogue medium and a digital one let some properties of these two elements making a synthesis, anyway it goes over mere software objectification and materials dynamization: the installation focus is suggesting a narrative flow starting from a metamorphosis - not represented but referred by empty chrysalis (exuvia) as the printed memory of an absent object - till the spreading wings climax: vital, delicate and ephemeral as software could be.

Alessandro Capozzo and Katja Noppes, "Exuvia", 2006. Analog and digital mixed media.
Software ( built with Processing).
Screen: 30 x 36 cm. Epoxidic Resin on LCD display.
Moult: 190 x 57 x 64 cm. Synthetic material with talcum powder.
Various hardware, cables and ironmongery.

	work: exuvia - photo documentation - year: 2006 medium: mixed media built with: processing soure code: >> download >> go to the page
	work: exuvia - video documentation - year: 2006 medium: mixed media plug in: quicktime built with: processing soure code: >> download >> go to the page