What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?

“Nothing is ever enough. We have become slaves to our own ambition. We hate the alarm clock. We hate stagnation. We must keep growing. Conquer the world. Envy is our fuel. More. More. More.”
– James Worthy

“Politicians promise new perspectives for the future. They promise us green, resilient, inclusive, smart, or fair growth. Sustainable and balanced growth. You can choose your own future, as long as you choose growth.”
– Kate Raworth

How can we talk together about our collective growth addiction? How can we hold up a mirror to people? How do you make the concept of growth tangible? We have created an Artificial Creature, where the public can reflect on themselves through subjectification (projecting a living identity and emotion onto a lifeless object).

Breathe in, breathe out – Air is pumped in and out of a balloon, allowing the creature to breathe and keep itself alive. The creature itself does nothing but breathe. However, the balloon is wrapped in a straitjacket of tape that restricts the creature once the balloon becomes large enough. The straitjacket shapes the balloon once it and the balloon are the same size. From that moment, resistance arises. You can see this as growing pains. This project was made in the course Artificial Creatures at Leiden University.

In collaboration with:
Floor Stolk

2021