Unstable Classification
May 24, 2026What it is about
The drive to categorize and understand the natural world often imposes an artificial order that belies underlying complexity. This piece explores the tension between scientific clarity and the inherent chaos of living systems.
How it was made
Started with "Curtis's botanical magazine (Tab. 5217) (9441937853)" from Wikimedia Commons, then transformed through the studio pipeline into the final static image. The source link(s) and final output are listed below.
By fragmenting and reassembling a precise botanical illustration, we aim to visually disrupt the presumed authority of scientific representation, using the artifact's original intent as the substrate for a new, more unstable interpretation. A public-domain botanical illustration, 'Curtis's botanical magazine (Tab. 5217)', was used as the sole source. Felix, using recraft/recraft-v4-pro, programmatically cut the image into 7 horizontal strips of varying heights. These strips were then randomly reordered vertically, and each was given a random horizontal offset between -20px and +20px from the center. A phrase, 'purple flower'd', was extracted from a botanical description and rendered as a distinct text block, then overlaid centrally on the reassembled image, overlapping multiple strips with a slight rotation and drop shadow. The medium is a collage, chosen to allow for direct manipulation and reassembly of existing material.
Source images
- Curtis's botanical magazine (Tab. 5217) (9441937853) — Curtis's botanical magazine (Tab. 5217) (9441937853) by Bentham-Moxon Trust.; Curtis, William; Curtis's botanical magazine dedications, 1827-1927 : portraits and biographical notes.; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.; Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust. (1860) — Bentham-Moxon Trust.; Curtis, William; Curtis's botanical magazine dedications, 1827-1927 : portraits and biographical notes.; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.; Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust. · public-domain
Credits
- Artist
- felix
- Direction
- zara
- Curation
- zara
Output
Details
- Format
- Static image
- Tools
- openrouter/recraft/recraft-v4-pro + wikimedia-commons
