Using tiny props, the Carmichael Collective has built a series of small remembrances for dead bugs they found around their office and on the street. The "Bug Memorials" project documents these shrines in photos and a short YouTube video.
Dave Damman, the driving force behind the collective, says the project is all about perspective.
"We live in this world where we feel like it's big news if Kim Kardashian changes her pants, so why in that same world can't we take a moment to acknowledge the death of a moth," he says.
While ad agencies are known for their creative output, few people would refer to their mercenary creations as art. The Carmichael Collective is hoping to change that. Comprised of employees from Carmichael Lynch, a Minneapolis-based ad agency, the group has become a creative outlet for those at the company who want to make art but not worry about coming up with the catchiest hook or most client-pleasing video clip.
"I've always wanted to be in a position to provide an environment where we could let the horses loose," says Damman, who is also the chief creative officer. He just wants employees to have fun. “There is no over-think here,” he says.
Changing our conception from "a fly's death" to "this fly's death," and making it personal, is a clever premise. Does that fly you just swatted have a personality? Is that cockroach you just squashed a unique snowflake? The Mother Teresa of cockroaches?
“The more we don’t answer people’s questions the better it gets,” Damman says.
