On the Origin of Species is a work of scientific literature by Charles Darwin which is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. To think the eye had evolved by natural selection, Darwin said, “seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree.”
This piece focuses (and was initiated) around this doubt, with a large human eye portrayed in the middle. While shooting the eye, I realised that the colourful iris was made up of what seemed to be delicate threads woven together. This, in turn, had me thinking about life on a larger scale and how it could be perceived as also being woven together by space and time. So I began creating the “thread” that would illustrate in my piece this woven connectivity.
I then researched the Fossil Record and began adding in (in concentric circles around the eye) various elements depicting the various periods. Starting with the molecular period on the outer circle all the way through to the human eye in the centre. These elements are all connected to the weave I created, telling the story of life’s woven interconnectivity and the evolution of species as we know it.
