Blueprints by Worms

2021. Printed on paper.

A booklet exploring mealworm digestion of polystyrene.

The block prints inside this book were created in collaboration with meal worms, who can consume polystyrene safely due to specialized gut microbes. Research from Stanford University investigated how Tenebrio molitor breaks down extruded polystyrene foam, or XPS. For Worm Prints, the insects were fed supplemental oats to ensure they received ample nutrients; this did not affect plastic consumption and over the course of several weeks the worms gradually chewed through the provided foam blocks. The experiment ended once most of the worms transitioned from their larval stage into a pupa, and once fully formed beetles the insects were returned to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Nature lab to continue their life cycle. Blueprints by worms is an exploration into the habits and life choices of a seemingly insignificant life form. By documenting the medium in which meal worms create their own spaces, perhaps we can begin to discover new ways of inhabiting and cohabiting with other human and non-human communities. What pathways are formed through their communally reductive processes?

Available for purchase at Printed Matter in New York City.