Firebugs as process – becoming-with, each 50x30cm, woodcut, 2024

This series examines firebugs as existing in dynamic relationships with other actants. Their behaviour and existence are shaped by these relationships. We perceive them not only through our own sensorial boundaries, but within a specific environment. This series seeks to show firebugs in a constant process of becoming-with their surrounding, but also as something that escapes our full understanding. This series is inspired by Mortons Object Oriented Ontology (2016) and Haraway‘s exploration of becoming-with (2016).

In natural sciences, insects are often studied in a controlled setting, removed from their environment, preserved, and dissected for analysis. Scientific representations prioritize precision, anatomical accuracy and classification. Insects are typically depicted from standardized angles, with neutral backgrounds, even lighting and schematic labeling. While such images enhance our understanding of their anatomy, they also reinforce the perception of insects as mechanical, interchangeable entities. These static depictions overlook the vitality, diversity and ecological relationships that define the existence of firebugs. Through artistic representations I aim to offer an alternative perspective, one that embraces ambiguity, movement, processuality and individuality. Instead of isolating firebugs from their surroundings, this research seeks to understand insects in their natural habitats and represent them within it.