Rotifers
Nicole Banowetz
You wouldn't say so, but these colourful, wondrous beasts are enlarged specimens of perhaps the smallest creatures in the animal kingdom – rotifers. Here they take over the city beach at the Esplanade, all colour and energy, while these single-celled creatures are actually minuscule. Found mostly in water and wet soil, as many as two million could fit into a single square metre! They eat algae, dead organic matter and, if the need arises, will become little cannibals.
These appear more lovable, they are luminous, even cuddly. But as a microbe they are their own superorganism, capable of effortlessly surviving humans, for a very long time.
Rotifers was presented in collaboration with Light Art Collection. Photography: Clemens Wildschut
About the artist
Nicole Banowetz (1981) is a Denver-based sculptor who creates design objects, textile sculptures, and installations, and works on educational projects. She specialises in ‘inflatables’ – inflatable, textile sculptures in detailed, ingenious shapes. Made from soft materials, her works are about both vulnerability and strength, and the shapes are cuddly and delicate at the same time.
