Part of the Emerging Peace triptych in the FLORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN traveling exhibition
Limited Edition of 12
Price Available on Request
Up to One Year to Produce
A caterpillar's sole purpose is to eat and grow, consuming up to 2,000 times its body weight daily. This insight came to Box in 2016 while meditating on the phrase "Consider the caterpillar."
Box saw parallels between the caterpillar's endless consumption and humanity's exponential population growth since the early 1900s. He concluded that "The caterpillar is the archetypal symbol of our time," reflecting humanity's belief in unlimited growth.
Recent biological discoveries revealed that as caterpillars grow, mysterious "imaginal cells" appear in their bodies, only to be destroyed by their immune system. These cells persist despite continuous destruction.
Box draws a parallel: like the caterpillar's unsustainable growth, humanity faces its own consumption crisis. “Like the caterpillar with its insatiable appetite, the human population has been consuming and growing at an unsustainable rate,” Box says. “Metaphorically speaking, imaginal cells have a role to play in transforming our situation.”
