Limelight

Limelight is a concept for the design of a fish statue located in the Muncie White River. This statue would be aimed at promoting awareness for the loss of the fish in the White River due to pollution. The implementation of Biodesign, or design with living materials and implications, would be conceptually relevant to the memorialization of the tragic death of fish in 1999. The concept for this Biodesign project takes on a “what-if ”perspective under the umbrella of design plausibility. This statue would erode over time, revealing a bioplastic, mussel shell alginate, organ sculpture and copper wire skeleton. These materials would be non-toxic to the White River, and the alginate mixture is hoped to be able to house nitrogen-fixing bacteria common in the white river.

On-site visits and material research informed this design concept, as well as studies of biodesign precedents and history of the White River. Spread design was aimed at clarifying the project’s aim and representing the layers of the statue visually. These spreads were designed to supplement a booklet full of several different biodesign projects, and not as a stand-alone book.