Cocoon
Year 2014
Pieces 6
Collaborators: Camal Pirbhai & Philip Brown
Inspired by 17th-century naturalist, botanical artist, and renowned entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian, Cocoon (2014)explores the beauty in metamorphosis. This work, crafted by intricately fashioning, tucking, beading, and styling fabric, aims to bring to light topics of transformation and coming of age. Cocoon asks viewers to find solace and beauty in the journey, rather than just the outcome or product — which, in this case, would be the emerged butterfly. Pirbahi utilizes gold-leaf blocks as a support system for the sculpture to represent the organic systems that support cocoons during their incubation. These luxurious materials call to mind the beauty and scarcity of our natural world. This work is a collaboration with fabricator Philip Brown and Camal Pirbhai and has been exhibited at IDS.
