daoula sheen
Weaving studies © Michael Pfisterer
Projections of the communally living wild silk worms climbing a tree © Michael Pfisterer
Wild silk cocoons © Michael Pfisterer
interdisciplinary exhibition about the formation and cultural history of wild silk obtained from caterpillars in West Africa.(2022)
As an intern I supported the design of the exhibition DAOULA | sheen. This interdisciplinary exhibition at the museum Tieranatomisches Theater Berlin (TAT) ran from 11/18/2022 through 06/30/2023 and examined the natural formation and cultural history of wild silk obtained from caterpillars in West Africa.
The wild silkworms of the Anaphe species set out in the West African savannah in search of trees to collectively build a nest, in which each individual spins its own cocoon and starts its metamorphosis. These cocoons are a precious material to communities in West Africa which extract wild silk from it and weave it into cloths of prestige.
The exhibition combined research of the origins of this unique material with the multifaceted views of researchers in Berlin like anthropologists, cultural scientists, microbiologists, material scientists, designers and architects. Aiming to understand aspects like the intervention of bacteria in the traditional fermentation processes orr studying the cocoon weaving process with the help of computational design tools.
Learn more at: https://www.matters-of-activity.de/en/activities/8716/daoula-sheen
Woven sculpture in the rotunda of TAT. The projections show videos explaining the wild silk processing and Berlin based research on the topic. © Michael Pfisterer