Triplex Maxilla
Undergrad Advanced Architecture Studio. Winter 2021
Rhino 7.0, Grasshopper, Maya, Adobe CS
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Initial World-building Collaborators: Vivian Kinuthia, Lena Ma
The project first conjectures Rio de Janeiro 200 years in the future at the apex of human civilization. Building upon that condition, the speculative narrative then envisions a future 2000 years after the extinction of homo sapiens.The urban morphology defines the parameters for a genesis of ecologies in Rio de Janeiro.
In the post-anthropocene era of Rio de Janeiro, a new ecosystem is developed, and a creature is evolved under the impact of GMO fallout. Triplex Maxilla – a monster fish hiding within the water’s trash to sneak up on its enemies, which is the protagonist of this speculative narrative.
In a perfect world of complete control of nature, what can go wrong?
In the post-anthropocene era of Rio de Janeiro, a new ecosystem is developed, and a creature is evolved under the impact of GMO fallout. Triplex Maxilla – a monster fish hiding within the water’s trash to sneak up on its enemies, which is the protagonist of this speculative narrative.
In a perfect world of complete control of nature, what can go wrong?
Under the impact of GMO crops and composts made from GMO animal carcasses released into the water from the fallen pods, the garpike has evolved to become much bigger to eat larger prey. The garpike can camouflage itself within floating garbage. Which helps hunt prey. The large, elongated fins and ventral fins that run the lengths of its belly can lure small fish into thinking that it’s a haven below the fins. Small prey is also attracted by the floating fish guts around this creature’s hunting and eating behaviours.
The fish has an elongated body with a long, trifold jaw. The lower portion splays into two parts while the upper portion stays still. This optimizes its prey yield, allows for more coverage for bigger prey and provides the opportunity to catch more in one snap. A co-evolved trait is the internal pharyngeal jaw. When the fish snaps on large preys that are difficult to be maneuvered/swallowed at once. The secondary pharyngeal jaw secures the prey in space and helps tear up and eat the prey piece by piece. The fish guts from tearing apart prey also can attract small fish hanging around/below.
The fish has an elongated body with a long, trifold jaw. The lower portion splays into two parts while the upper portion stays still. This optimizes its prey yield, allows for more coverage for bigger prey and provides the opportunity to catch more in one snap. A co-evolved trait is the internal pharyngeal jaw. When the fish snaps on large preys that are difficult to be maneuvered/swallowed at once. The secondary pharyngeal jaw secures the prey in space and helps tear up and eat the prey piece by piece. The fish guts from tearing apart prey also can attract small fish hanging around/below.
The Reproduction of Triplex Maxilla
Post-Anthro Rio: Coastal Food Web
The Life Cycle of Triplex Maxilla
