The Kill Jar

The Kill Jar is a mechanical bug that is placed in a jar. The bug fights against the glass jar that’s holding it captive. The piece is neither the bug nor the jar but the interaction between the two. How the bug navigates through the space, in a constant battle, slowly making its way in a never ending rotation until it’s lifespan runs out. This performative act is a critique on the “collection” of bugs as a commodity. Replacing a live organism with a mechanical robot brings us to question how we differentiate our interactions with the two. We tend to separate the idea of ourselves from other animals and technology but still try and replicate ourselves within them. Picking out the human characteristics of our pets and evolving technology to replicate our behaviours. The Kill Jar questions our interactions between the two.