Arist Tasha Lewis is preparing to send thousands of her magnetic printed butterfly sculptures to be installed and documented by willing participants around the world.
This idea was born out of the fact that I, as an individual artist living in NYC, cannot currently travel around the world (as much as I wish I could). I can, however, organize a massive social experiment where I send out groups of butterflies to willing participants who will then add their own installations to the project through digital and analog platforms.
The process that she uses to print the butterflies is called cyanotype and has a specific historical meaning in her work.
Popularized by scientists, and botanists in particular, the cyanotype is intrinsically tied into the scientific recording boom of the late 19th and early 20th century. Using this cultural history as a foundation, I built a menagerie of new creatures that seek to re-imagine our relationship with natural specimens.
Once the butterfly sculptures have been distributed, and participants in the project have documented their installation throughout the world, Lewis is planning to exhibit the resulting images in New York.
If you’re interested in participating in Lewis’ project, you will find a very detailed description of how to do that and what will be expected of you on her website.
[via Starry Night Cat]
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