TOTEM
The totem as a symbol is associated with the clans and its image has immense importance in totemic cultures. It is considered to be the object of a certain piety, respect or reverence. Totems of animals, that are the most feared in each culture (such as eagle, bear, wolf ...) are often displayed in clans. Therefore, the image deliberately shows the image of beetles, of which people in the interiors often have an irrational fear. Purposely abnormal enlargement of a beetle in the form of a totem to human ratio confronts it in matters related to body size and often a reckless feeling of superiority of one kind.
The idea is mediated in object by a symbolic image of a beetle, which is a metaphor not only to the human relationship to insects in the interior, but also of human behavior towards their surroundings in general. As a result of human activity, the natural environment on Earth is shrinking and warnings are necessary. The abnormally enlarged beetle tries to draw attention to current issues, but at the same time carries a degree of paradox, which (despite its seriousness) does not have a burdensome effect on the daily use of the object and does not disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the household.
The choice of materials and artistic processing of the design draws on totemism and important characteristics of beetles, such as mimetics, diversity or bioluminescence. In addition to the various functions in the form of an interior object, the totem is also visually diverse in use. The individual parts hide a different graphic representation of the beetle's body, which can be easily rotated to create new combinations. Together with the changing color of the dichroic foil according to the angle of view, they create many possible variants and represent the diversity and beauty of beetles.
The design considers features of the used material, the surface of which became the boundary in the creation of a graphic representation of the beetle. By deliberately layering different degrees of transparency and color shades of dichroic foil into a cylindrical shape, a seemingly simple object was created, which will surprise the user only after lighting up - displaying the beetle as a totem pole. Just as organisms often protect themselves from the potential threat of imitating the environment, the image of the beetle on the totem is invisible, masked and does not appear until switching it on. In the switched-off state, we perceive the surface of the film with a mirror effect, which creates specific reflections. The mirror reflection of the observer himself in the totem amplifies the moment of confrontation with the image of the beetle, which appears after lighting up, and thus plays with the idea of comparing the importance of these two species in relation to their size. The appearance of the foil used is referred to as the dichroic effect, which occurs due to the interference of light waves with thin, visually transparent layers, which causes the light to refract into separate colors. This creates a similar reflection and light effect which can be seen on many beetles.
