Bombyx Mori is an extensive research project by Asli Hatipoglu investigating the past, present and future of the domesticated silkworm Bombyx mori, a species now wholly dependent on humans for its survival. Developed over roughly a year and a half, it spans textile, film and installation, turning the insect's engineered life into a meditation on how human production reshapes another species.
The work consists of:
1. A woven silk and glow-in-the-dark textile design, divided into grids that represent the amount of space each insect lives to produce in its lifetime, together with a video projection of its lifecycle (footage by Ismail Seker, assembled by Zinan Guven).
2. Three textile costume pieces produced at the TextielLab, used in the production of an 11-chapter dance film essay (24 min), Sēres, made together with A. Gersony, filmed by Mladen Bundalo at Hectolitre, Brussels.
3. Documentary film 'Bombyx Mori' (34:19 min) made together with Daily Dim Mak, reflecting on the current status of silk production in the historical region of Bursa, the disappearing artisanal craft, and the political discussions of its production in Turkey.
Behind the Scenes Bombyx Mori, process film (5:45), 2023, by Blickfanger.
Museum collection: TextielMuseum, Tilburg
Commissioned by TextielMuseum
Exhibition: "Makers on Materials", 20 April – 3 November 2024