This exploratory work examines tactility from the perspective of minute organisms, from radiolarians to millipedes. Tiny creatures experience and palpably digest their environment using an arsenal of appendages: antennae, flagella, legs, and tentacles. The dogged march of a millipede, the rhythmic undulation of feeding tentacles, and the quivering antennae of a lacewing each relay segments of information mechanistically necessary for survival.
A millipede crawling upon your hand feels halfway between barely noticeable and lightly tickling. You can feel the overall sensation of movement, but not the individual legs so delicately fragile on your callused hand. But if you existed on the same scale as a millipede and had it walking upon you, I imagine it would feel quite differently; its legs formidable, with the tips digging as it marches doggedly along.
Lumenorbis, literally meaning ‘light of the world,’ examines the complex microcosm of a tiny foreign organism. Thousands of minute creatures remain elusive, completely unknown to science. They survive in specialized niches within the depths of deep sea vents, crevasses, or even in plain slight.
Lumenorbis glowing in the dark
Just as a sunflower rotates its head to track the sun, so does a crinoid move about its stalk as it lifts its feeding arms. Many dissimilar organisms exhibit remarkably similar mechanisms and adaptations. Even the most unique creature may seem a familiar relative on common ground. This ring has a ball and socket joint, allowing the top portion to rotate and move at an angle. The enamel glows in the dark.