“Fragile Future 3.13” by Studio DRIFT: July Collection Highlight
In this fascinating light sculpture by DRIFT, technology and nature coexist in a delicate balance.
By Eva Berlin, Digital Content Specialist, High Museum of Art
All aglow with soft orbs of light suspended in a high-tech lattice, Fragile Future 3.13 features real dandelion seeds, handpicked and meticulously attached seed-by-seed to a series of LED lights connected through three-dimensional bronze circuits.
Although the two elements contrast visually (angular circuitry and soft, ethereal dandelions gone to seed), they come together in a striking celebration of engineering — both natural and man-made.
The common dandelion, although often seen as a weed, is edible, medicinal, and a crucial early spring pollinator. Each dandelion, composed of tiny parachuting seeds, is a vision of nature’s sophisticated technology. The tiny florets are finely tuned to environmental conditions, adjusting their forms with changing humidity levels, allowing each individual seed to take flight on a gust of wind, or on the breath of a wish.
DRIFT’s artwork acknowledges that nature paves the way for technology, and it pushes us to question if humanity’s technological advancements are superior to the evolutions of nature. It inspires us to imagine a world in which technology achieves the equilibrium present in the natural world.
The DRIFT team says, “The project can be seen as a critical yet utopian vision on the future of our planet, where two seemingly opposite evolutions have made a pact to survive.”
Hear more about the piece from the artists in the video below:
See Fragile Future 3.13 in Electrifying Design: A Century of Lighting, on view through September 26. Learn more about the exhibition at the High’s upcoming talk:
Virtual Curator Conversation: Sarah Schleuning and Cindi Strauss
August 26, 6 p.m. | Free for members, $16.50 for not-yet-members
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