the Ediacaran
Category: digital artefacts
Domain: history, evolution
Kimberella is the first bona fide bilaterian that provides clear indications of the presence of the first nervous systems in living species.
An early 3D and graphic exploration project from 2022, inspired by Peter Godfrey-Smith’s book about the deep origins of consciousness and its making through millions of years of evolution of species. The book begins with an introduction to Kimberella and the tree of life. An extinct animal from the Ediacaran period (635 -538.8 million years ago), Kimberella is the first bona fide bilaterian that provides clear indications of the presence of the first nervous systems in living species. The fossil became an inspiration for an everyday object as a source of reflection on incredible biological mechanisms that brought living organisms to this great diversity and complexity that is found today, as well as a reminder that H. sapiens is just one chapter of the history. Not the beginning, not the goal, and certainly not the only fascinating result.
Layers of solidified history suddenly became visible through signs that barely communicated anything before. Maybe Ross was right, maybe fossils really are exciting. This newly acquired vision turned into a growing collection of photographs that one day might become something complete.
In the meantime, the planet is in the midst of the sixth mass extinction—this time caused exclusively by human activities. Once the tipping point is passed, things usually begin to crumble quickly. Humankind’s understanding of its place in this system will probably not be quick enough to change, leaving us with no choice but to mitigate the damage in exchange for extra time until our own mass extinction is underway. Hundreds of millions of years later, the world will be reset for a new track of evolution. Turns out, it will go on after all.