Due to a global loss of seashells, land hermit crabs – which live in discarded shells for protection – are facing a severe housing shortage. In attempting to meet the new needs of this natural life form, I have started fabricating alternative forms of housing, out of plastic, for land hermit crabs. Utilizing rapid prototyping technology, I have designed these shelters in auto CAD then created each, in one piece with a laser. Based upon the designs of Guiseppe Terragni, a fascist architect working in the late 1920’s, these fabricated structures are better than what nature can provide. They have a large internal space to weight ratio—which the animal seeks, and because they are non-biodegradable they will out live the life span of he species itself, thereby assuring many generations of hermit crabs ample passed down housing.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Elizabeth Demaray is an artist whose work explores the connection between the named world and the real. She is co-founder and co-curator of the Conceptual Art Store.com and teaches at Rutgers University at Camden where she is head of sculpture.

PRESS:

Cabinet Magazine, Spring 2004