#Hidden in plain sight 2019 series

Stemming from the fascinating world of insect vision and perception, the project uses colors, patterns, and light to the benefit of both insects and humans. Hidden in Plain Sight deploys visual tactics to enhance insect habitability while also provoking human curiosity through new spatial and perceptual experiences. The Hidden in Plain Sight prototypes incorporate planting scenarios to accommodate both caterpillars and butterflies: mesh-enclosed planters protect caterpillars from predators, while open planting beds house brightly colored wildflowers to attract nectar-seeking butterflies. (1) To support and cultivate beneficial insect populations, the project team identified some of the most common butterfly and moth species in the Casa de Campo and Madrid Rio areas, where Matadero Madrid is sited. According to a recent study, 40% of insect species are in danger of extinction in the coming decades due to climate change and the extensive use of pesticides.

Various insect species are also bioindicators, or “living barometers” of environmental conditions. While we often think of cities as human-centered territory, insects are a significant part of our ecosystems, serving as pollinators, seed-dispersers, decomposers, and a food source for other species, such as bats and birds. The project seeks to make visible the underacknowledged world of non-human species, particularly insects, as active participants in urban life by attracting and magnifying their presence in our shared urban spaces.

The project explores how design can amplify the current discourse on climate change in the context of public space.

#Hidden in plain sight 2019 series

Hidden in Plain Sight is one of five design proposals for a series of replicable prototypes designed to raise the resilience of this public space in Madrid. The design process included a series of monthly interdisciplinary workshops with representatives from Madrid City Council, as well as scientists and experts from various disciplines, including environmental engineering, botany, entomology, and pedology. This initiative seeks to frame planetary change as a challenge that is as much cultural and political as it is scientific and technological. This body of research is part of a multi-year initiative to design a collective “Cyborg Garden” to turn the outdoor spaces of the Matadero Madrid complex-a former slaughterhouse that has been converted to an arts center-into laboratories for testing nature-based solutions to make the complex more habitable in the face of global climate change. Hidden in Plain Sight is a proposal for a series of urban furnishings that aim to amplify and bring awareness to various forms of urban life and support an inclusive web of interdependent species, both human and non-human.