03 /
SELECTED WORK
ART LAB / VERMIN HEART
ART LAB / VERMIN HEART
TURNING ORDINARY STREET SIGNS INTO UNEXPECTED GALLERIES.
TURNING ORDINARY STREET SIGNS INTO UNEXPECTED GALLERIES.
Vermin Heart is an ongoing public art project exploring how small interventions can transform overlooked urban spaces. Using custom-designed 3D printed sculptures, ordinary perforated street signs become temporary galleries, inviting curiosity, surprise, and a second look at the everyday city.
Vermin Heart is an ongoing public art project exploring how small interventions can transform overlooked urban spaces. Using custom-designed 3D printed sculptures, ordinary perforated street signs become temporary galleries, inviting curiosity, surprise, and a second look at the everyday city.
THE BRIEF
Cities are filled with objects we stop seeing.
Street signs, poles, fences, and utility structures quietly blend into the background despite occupying every neighborhood
Vermin Heart asks a simple question:
What happens when one of those invisible objects suddenly becomes art?
My Role
From concept to installation, this project was entirely self-directed.
I sculpted the fly in Nomad Sculpt on the iPad before engineering it for FDM 3D printing.
The wings were designed as separate components for material experimentation, while a modular mounting system uses the existing perforations found on many street sign posts.
Cities are filled with objects we stop seeing.
Street signs, poles, fences, and utility structures quietly blend into the background despite occupying every neighborhood
Vermin Heart asks a simple question:
What happens when one of those invisible objects suddenly becomes art?
My Role
From concept to installation, this project was entirely self-directed.
I sculpted the fly in Nomad Sculpt on the iPad before engineering it for FDM 3D printing.
The wings were designed as separate components for material experimentation, while a modular mounting system uses the existing perforations found on many street sign posts.
DESIGNING FOR THE CITY
Rather than treating the fly as a standalone sculpture, it was designed as a system.
A removable adapter with integrated pegs allows the piece to attach securely to different styles of perforated steel sign posts found throughout Los Angeles. The result is a repeatable installation method that makes every sign a potential exhibition space.
DESIGNING FOR THE CITY
Rather than treating the fly as a standalone sculpture, it was designed as a system.
A removable adapter with integrated pegs allows the piece to attach securely to different styles of perforated steel sign posts found throughout Los Angeles. The result is a repeatable installation method that makes every sign a potential exhibition space.
FROM SCREEN TO STREETS
The project moves fluidly between digital and physical making.
The sculpture begins as a digital model before being optimized for fabrication, printed, assembled, and installed throughout the city. Every placement considers surrounding architecture, pedestrian flow, and the small moment of surprise created when someone notices the piece for the first time.
FROM SCREEN TO STREETS
The project moves fluidly between digital and physical making.
The sculpture begins as a digital model before being optimized for fabrication, printed, assembled, and installed throughout the city. Every placement considers surrounding architecture, pedestrian flow, and the small moment of surprise created when someone notices the piece for the first time.
AN ONGOING EXPERIMENT
Vermin Heart continues to evolve with new locations, new mounting systems, and future interactive elements, including NFC technology and augmented reality experiences that extend the artwork beyond the physical object.
The project is ultimately about encouraging people to slow down, look closer, and rediscover the overlooked details hidden in their everyday environment.
AN ONGOING EXPERIMENT
Vermin Heart continues to evolve with new locations, new mounting systems, and future interactive elements, including NFC technology and augmented reality experiences that extend the artwork beyond the physical object.
The project is ultimately about encouraging people to slow down, look closer, and rediscover the overlooked details hidden in their everyday environment.
LET’S MAKE
SOMETHING COOL!
® 2026 TARIK CASTILHO
BUILT WITH CURIOSITY AND COFFEE
LET’S MAKE
SOMETHING COOL!
® 2026 TARIK CASTILHO
BUILT WITH CURIOSITY AND COFFEE