Wings of Life: a day among the drawers
Two days in the ETH Zurich insect collection, 600 butterfly specimens photographed, and how they became Wings of Life, a series of kaleidoscopic artworks.
The drawers
In October 2021 I was allowed into the Entomologische Sammlung der ETH Zürich, the entomological collection of ETH Zurich. Behind plain white walls stand rows of wooden cabinets, drawer after drawer, each one labelled by hand: Nymphalidae, Charaxes, Morpho.
Most of these drawers are rarely opened. Inside lie butterflies collected years ago, pinned and named, waiting for a researcher who needs them. When I pulled out the first drawer of Morphos, the blue was so intense it seemed to glow.
That is what I want my work to do. There is more life around us than we see, and sometimes it is hiding in a drawer.
In the collection, October 2021.
Photographing what was already there
I brought my camera, two tripods, one light and a stack of coloured paper. One by one, I took a specimen out of its drawer, laid it on the paper and photographed it from above. Then it went back exactly where it came from.
My setup: one camera, one light, coloured paper.
Over two days I photographed more than 600 specimens of around 100 species. No butterfly died for this series. Every wing you see belongs to a specimen that has been part of the collection for years.
Piece by piece
Back in the studio, I cut out every wing digitally and placed it myself, one at a time. Each work is built around a centre, ring after ring, until the wings start to read as stained glass.
The idea of the kaleidoscope was sparked by Damien Hirst, whose butterfly works I have long admired. Where he worked with real butterflies, I wanted to work only with photographs of specimens that already existed. The wings are real; the composition is mine.
Wings of Life VI, and a closer look.
Look closely and you can still tell the species apart, like the deep blue of the Morpho.
Wings of Life V, IV and I, details.
Wings of Life VII, detail.
What do you see?
At exhibitions I have learned to ask people what they see before I tell my own story. Some see a mandala, some a cathedral window, some an eye looking back. I would love to hear yours.
Wings of Life I to VII.
Mockups of how the works can hang, from a single piece to a triptych.
The Wings of Life series is available as prints through Werk aan de Muur. View the series
With thanks to Dr. Michael Greeff and the Entomologische Sammlung der ETH Zürich for opening the drawers.