ABYSS FEEDER - 2020

// Taxonomy: Propathrum papileon - void-feeding moth
Habitat (migratory): Nebulae, asteroid belts, planetary rings, outer space.

Occupying vast areas, this daunting scavenger is not one creature, but three living in symbiosis. The top section offers locomotion via large “wings” that beam photons out of photolytic organs. The bottom section is capable of grasping onto detritus thanks to several clawed appendages, and the middle “core” breaks down foreign matter. Both the top and bottom sections work together to bring the core into contact with potential food sources, where the core’s singularity derived digestive system absorbs it. This reaction creates a lot of energy and nutrients, which is acquired through crystalline stomachs growing between the two sections and the core…

This image formed part of my Honours Project for Uni; the depiction of a neo-futuristic civilisation of humans and A.I. living together as equals in harmony. Exploring the depths of deep space aboard a 151 KM long generation starship, they seek to research, learn and evolve together while searching to find wonders that no-one has ever seen. In the thousand years since leaving Earth, the pinnacle of their findings include the successful identification of 8 alien organisms, forming an ecosystem that reaches far beyond the stars…