Reading Project #1: Stamping on Butterflies

"We lifted them from the net one at a time to check their health and sex and to see if they were pregnant, and then glued a small postage-stamp-like tag to the top of a wing." - Diane Ackerman, page 94

This first piece was inspired by the simple idea of stamping a butterfly like an envelope, as the writer so compared the tracker devices used in the field on actual butterflies. I created some simple cutouts of the insects from yellow envelops, leaving the metal tongs to imitate a head and antennae, and by placing a small stamp in the upper corner of the wing. The color scheme was inspired by the mention of cold temperatures which briefly followed the quote (namely the background) and the mention of sex and pregnancy which brings to mind very bright, vibrant colors, such as pink. The background is essentially a close up of some clothes and blankets I had lying in a pile with a photocopy effect applied on top of it. It overall is meant to be a playful take on the actual events whilst also recreating something biological from a mere handful of materials.