Polytomies I

An internal node of a phylogenetic tree is described as a polytomy or multifurcation if (i) it is in a rooted tree and is linked to three or more child subtrees, or (ii) it is in an unrooted tree and is attached to four or more branches. A tree that contains any multifurcations can be described as a multifurcating tree.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytomy)

In Polytomies I, a single form fractures into multiple emergent limbs — a sculptural echo of evolutionary uncertainty. The title borrows from biology, where a polytomy marks a moment in a phylogenetic tree when relationships between species cannot be fully resolved — a node of simultaneous divergence, or of unresolved data. Here, that ambiguity becomes tangible.

Rendered in vivid red and modular complexity, the work resists a single reading. Is it organic or synthetic? Frozen mid-evolution or perpetually branching? The form invites interpretation, embodying the tension between structure and flux, between the known and the indeterminate.

Like Ernst Haeckel’s visualizations of natural forms — where art met evolutionary thought — Polytomies I exists in a liminal zone: part science, part fiction, part architecture of the unknown. It is the first in a growing series of investigations into branching systems, multiplicity, and speculative biology.

The overall form was designed as a parametric three-dimensional model, initially developed as pure geometry without any subdivision for assembly. This base model was then unfolded into flat surfaces, with all necessary details added through a set of parametric algorithms to enable a glueless, mechanically interlocking construction.

The glueless assembly allows for complete disassembly, making it easy to maintain or replace the internal electronic components.

For the curved branching elements, a dovetail joint system was employed. This method relies on the elastic bending properties of the material, which hold the structure in tension. As the dovetailed edges are joined, the flat-cut panels naturally form the intended three-dimensional shape.

The material type, thickness, and scale of the dovetail joints were determined through a series of physical test models. For the final production, a 300 g/m² cardboard was chosen for its balance of strength, flexibility, and ease of fabrication. The components were precisely cut using a conventional cut plotter.

At the end of each branch, integrated lighting elements respond rhythmically to ambient sounds. These sounds are captured by a hidden microphone embedded in the middle of the sculpture — the “root.” All responses are processed in real time by a pre-programmed Arduino microcontroller, also discreetly embedded within the root structure.

In its synthesis of biology, design, and technology, Polytomies I is both method and metaphor. It shows how parametric thinking and material experimentation can converge with poetic intent — producing a form that is precise yet open-ended, resolved yet still asking questions.