John Knuth Uses Bugs' Regurgitated Vomit for His Insect Art
Akihiko Tse — September 11, 2013 — Unique
References: designtaxi & boredpanda.org
Paintings can be born out of unexpected blasts of creativity, but John Knuth can't take all the credit for his remarkable insect art. That's because the LA-based Knuth enlisted the help of 250,000 houseflies in order to create a canvas made solely of the bugs' vomit. The result is a canvas filled with multicolored specks that resemble, from afar, small droplets of water, or of intricately drawn floral patterns from near.
Knuth created the paintings by first trapping the house flies in a meshed canvas and fed them a mixture of water, sugar and colored pigment. After ingesting and regurgitating the mixture "millions of times" over the course of six weeks, the bugs hurled their creations on the canvas. With the multiple "dense layers" splattered onto the canvas, Knuth draws a contrast the tensions of the controlled environment and "the inherently non-social insects' unpredictable mark-making; a process that he feels mirrors contemporary society."
Knuth created the paintings by first trapping the house flies in a meshed canvas and fed them a mixture of water, sugar and colored pigment. After ingesting and regurgitating the mixture "millions of times" over the course of six weeks, the bugs hurled their creations on the canvas. With the multiple "dense layers" splattered onto the canvas, Knuth draws a contrast the tensions of the controlled environment and "the inherently non-social insects' unpredictable mark-making; a process that he feels mirrors contemporary society."
Trend Themes
1. Insect Vomit Art - Exploring the use of insects' vomit as a medium for artistic expression opens up new possibilities in the art world.
2. Bio-inspired Art - Creating artwork with the help of insects and their natural processes presents an opportunity to explore the intersection of biology and art.
3. Unconventional Materials in Art - Using unexpected materials like insect vomit challenges traditional notions of artistic mediums and encourages creative experimentation.
Industry Implications
1. Art and Culture - Incorporating insect vomit into artwork can bring fresh and innovative perspectives to the art industry.
2. Scientific Research - Studying insect behavior and their regurgitation process for artistic purposes can contribute to scientific knowledge and understanding.
3. Textile and Surface Design - Exploring the use of insect vomit as a pigment opens up possibilities for unique and sustainable dyeing techniques for textiles and surface design.
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