Study after Bruegel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, a large gold mirror meteor, is on permanent display within the central tower of the Glazenhuis in Lommel, Belgium. The meteor is intended as an object of both superficial attraction and deep-seated anxiety. Physically, it is derived from two scientific objects- the Chicxulub meteorite and the asteroid Psyche (16),objects associated with reckless human greed and catastrophe.

The Chicxulub meteorite strike caused the fifth great extinction, and marks the pivot of the Cretaceous and the Paleogene eras. Psyche(16) is a large celestial object thought to be the core of a destroyed planetoid, and bearing absurd quantities of nickel and gold, a fraction of which would be capable of crashing the world economy. The discovery of its nature has made it an immediate target for wealth extraction by Space X.

Study after Bruegel proposes a metaphorical arrangement of these source objects with the current slow-moving 6th great extinction and the habitual human consumption driving it. The meteorite occupies the space in a subliminally menacing way, maintaining a seductive surface that attracts the viewer with their own gilded reflection. The title makes reference to Bruegel’s painting in which Icarus’ tragedy is overshadowed by the mechanics of everyday life.