news
  • ongoing
    exhibition

    we had the pleasure to co-curate the new MAK Design Lab at the Museum of applied Arts in Vienna. Within the permanent exhibition one can find as well a few of our projects like 'the idea of a tree', 'limited moths' or 'LeveL

    MAK Design Lab

  • dec. 2022
    acquisition

    we are happy that our project 'Access' was acquired by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.
    thanks a lot.
    The project 'Access' is a set of six drinking glasses, confronting people with the global distribution of clean drinking water.

    High Museum of Art Atlanta

one room – one species

the whole population of one endangered species
in one installation

  • year 2015

  • categories Limited Editions
    staging & spatial Installations

  • commissioned by

    Kunsthaus Wien

The loss of biodiversity was the focus of the project realLimited – one room, one species in the exhibition at the KUNST HAUS WIEN Garage. The total population of the moth species “cucullia tanaceti”, which is threatened by extinction, is represented as a light sculpture.
1,219* numbered moths made out of aluminium visualize all the moths of this species still living in Austria. Several arrangements of these metal insects form light sculptures with individual moths whirling around sources of light.
This momentary record of all the specimen of this species still existing in Austria revives the discussion about the growing exploitation of sensitive natural resources. The new installation in the series RealLimited visualizes real limitations and tries to enable us to grasp abstract numbers.
The six lamps of this series ‘limitedmoths – cucullia tanaceti’ are available via Design and Art.

 

With a certain amount of the generated money we support the ‘Naturfreikauf’ (redeem nature) by Naturschutzbund Austria, which buys natural areas where certain species were spotted and protects them in order to just stay as natural as possible.

species: cucullia tanaceti, rare nocturnal moth
conservation status Austria: critically endangered

*The numbers of the overall population of the ‘cucullia tanaceti’ include approximately 300-1300 specimen each year, according to the Austrian Federal Environmental Agency. Following extensive research and conversations with experts in the field, mischer’traxler estimated the population to be about 1200 specimen.

 

main image: Thomas Meyer – all the existing specimens of the highly endangered cucullia tanaceti are portrait in 6 lamps in one part of the room

a single specimen of 'cucullia tanaceti'

cuculia tanaceti / image source

light is filtered by the cluster of aluminium moths / image credit: Thomas Meyer

  • material

    100% aluminium moths (laser-cut, anodized, laserengraved and handrivetted), electronics for lamp

  • dimensions

    core lamp: about 65 x 30 x 35cm

    with single moths – one lamp: 120 x 100 x 35cm

    full installation: approx 400cm

  • production

    limited edition,
    6 lamps representative for the estimated population of approx. 1200 specimen of ‘cucullia tanaceti’

     

  • team

    Katharina Mischer, Thomas Traxler, Maria Bauhofer, Anais Bourcier

  • links