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Yasmeen Abdal
Typography & Publications → Genesis: A Bacterial Taxonomy
Pratt Institute
Field Study + Video
This project explores the concept of **mimesis—imitation as both camouflage and revelation—**through the lens of Kuwait’s contaminated landscapes. Inspired by the brimstone butterfly, whose mimicry enables survival, the work investigates how environmental degradation can mirror natural beauty in unsettling ways.
By studying oil fields, camping grounds, and the world’s largest tire graveyard, I reimagined these sites on both micro and macro scales. From aerial views, tire clusters resemble bacterial colonies in a petri dish, blurring the line between contamination and ecology. Out of this observation emerged a speculative taxonomy of bacteria—such as Rubberus tireus and Drillia petropatchensis—that reflect the material realities of pollution.
The project takes the form of a hypothetical field guide and a National Geographic–style parody video, introducing a speculative bacterial family—such as Rubberus tireus and Drillia petropatchensis. As an allegory, the work embodies the modern ecological paradox: beauty emerging from contamination. By reframing these landscapes through mimicry and speculation, the project challenges how we understand nature’s transformations and the blurred boundaries between the artificial and the organic.
Genesis was featured in Prattfolio—Pratt Institute’s magazine—within the story “Change Your Gaze”, which highlights the university’s MFA Communication Design Cross-Disciplinary Studio and its focus on new ecological perspectives and symbiotic collaboration the article can be found here: https://www.pratt.edu/prattfolio/stories/change-your-gaze/
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