The Nylon Fly
Why can’t you just go?
I was born here like you
Why can’t you stop spinning webs?
My children need a home too
Why don’t you stop eating?
There’s plenty of food
Where are you from?
You brought me here with you
So begins the dialog between a genetically engineered plastic-eating, plastic-spinning fly gone rogue in the last wilderness on earth, and the scientist sent to eradicate them and preserve the wilderness. What follows is a negotiation where the scientist asks herself what it means to be an invasive species, and finds that nothing is a wilderness, but everywhere is as precious as the most celebrated national park. Instead of trying to regain control of the land, the scientist must face up to the ugliness of the past, and make a bargain with the nylon fly.
This photo series exists both as a photo story and as an installation, which was displayed at the White House Studios as part of the exhibition Eco|Femin|Isms in 2018.