Animal House
elective, spring 2025
The course studied the nature of animal occupation on Earth, focusing on a method or system of occupation by a single species. Species selection and methods of representation were governed by individual interests based on an introductory series of exercises focused on the primary categories of land, sea, and air. Work was realized in the form of visualizations that collect and re-present discoveries. The seminar allowed for in-depth individual research and practice in the transformation of information.
I was fascinated by the Namibian Desert Beetle, an insect with a remarkable adaptation that allows it to survive in arid environments. Using hydrophilic and hydrophobic bumps on its back, the beetle harvests water from the air by catching fog droplets and letting them roll down its angled body into its mouth. I explored the beetle’s morphology and treated it as topography, visualizing the texture of its abdomen as if it were a section diagram by naturalist Alexander von Humboldt.
Instructor Katherine Davies
