BugSim (Pheromone Spa), 2022

Theo Triantafyllidis

Live Simulation

Ultra Widescreen Display, Gaming PC

Sound by Holly Waxwing


A precious slice of microscopic life preserved in an intensive care terrarium. Through a moist glass surface and within lush vegetation expands a busy Colony of Ants. Slowly and painstakingly they are working to form a brittle purple mud into a structure they can call home. From this structure grows an entire forest of tiny flowering plants. Branching and blooming in every direction, they are calling to be pollinated by buzzing Honey Bee replicas. An Aromatic Snail and a Dung Beetle provide help, while a Storm Mantis and a Sugar Spider complete the ecosystem of microfauna, praying for a snack. All but self-sustaining, this closed terrarium system is engineered to simulate all the necessary natural cycles for the fragile community of organisms. The flow of nutrients, hormones, moisture and temperature constantly regulated under the sound of insects buzzing. An experiment in resilience and entropy carefully monitored by a mysterious figure, contemplating on the paradox of environmental repair.

Originally commissioned by M. Museum, Almere, NL

BugSim (Pheromone Spa), 2022, by Theo Triantafyllidis
BugSim (Pheromone Spa), 2022, by Theo Triantafyllidis
BugSim (Pheromone Spa), 2022, by Theo Triantafyllidis
BugSim (Pheromone Spa), 2022, by Theo Triantafyllidis
BugSim (Pheromone Spa), 2022, by Theo Triantafyllidis
BugSim (Pheromone Spa), 2022, by Theo Triantafyllidis
BugSim (Pheromone Spa), 2022, by Theo Triantafyllidis
BugSim (Pheromone Spa), 2022, by Theo Triantafyllidis