A stunning glass sculpture by Austria-based Thomas Medicus depicts four endangered animals that appear and disappear depending on the viewing angle. The artwork, titled “Human Animal Binary”, consists of more than 144 strips of glass arranged in a cubic space. Each glass strip is painted with a different fragment of an animal’s body, creating a dynamic optical illusion. The animals featured in the sculpture are a lynx, a bee, a kingfisher, and a river trout. They represent the fragility and resilience of nature in the face of human impact.
The installation made of glass, concrete and metal addresses a dilemma in which a large part of humanity finds itself: Human habitat largely contradicts coexistence with non-human animals. In order not to exceed the capacity limits of the planet and thus prevent the destruction of our living space, the fundamental act of renewing the foundations of civilization in dealing with the environment is needed. The climate crisis makes it clear once again that our understanding of “nature” as something other, subordinate to us, has begun to crumble and a new design has become overdue. Human/Animal Binary was designed to last. One day the installation will stand in a different social context: as a memorial that has come true or as a relic of a time that has been overcome.
Thomas Medicus
More info: Website, Instagram.
