______________________________________________________ 

Insect sing-along

4K video with sound
neon lights, performance with a choir at sunset
2022

 

 

The clap of a butterfly’s wings and the buzzing sounds of sudden movement of an imperceptible brown moth. Eyes closed, these sounds are an intoxicating hum; drawn to the night like a lullaby.

Insect sing-along follows the lifecycle of a butterfly: caterpillar, pupa, to the final metamorphosis towards adult form. Insects are often our closest animal neighbours, and yet, are overlooked in ecological terms. The final form of the butterfly suddenly morphs into a robotic insect developed at the Delft University of Technology. These prototypes could potentially help with the pollination tasks of dwindling insect populations. The surprising history of lepidopterans and technology stems from a remarkable anecdote of the original “computer bug” - a squashed moth that affected early computer operations in 1947. 

Behind the screen, a neon blue glow draws the audience upstairs to a sculptural light work. Moths have a strange fascination for artificial sources of light. It is thought that they fly at a constant angle to the light of the moon in order to navigate. They often mistake artificial light for moonlight and in this way lamps distract them and they seem to forget about everything else. 

At sunset and nightfall, Serné presented a performance in the garden developed together with the vocal ensemble Genetic Choir. During regular exhibition hours, a sound piece developed and recorded with choir member Miyuki Inoue accompanied the silent film.

- Text by Àngels Miralda

 

 

Concept, filming and editing: Ananda Serné
Animation: Poyen Wang
Robot insect: Matěj Karásek / Flapper Drones at Delft University of Technology
Voice video: Miyuki Inoue
Sound recording: Marcel de Rooij / De Slapende Hond
Graphic design poster: Elena Op 't Eynde

Performance with singers from vocal ensemble Genetic Choir during the opening at puntWG:
Yankı Bıçakçı, Jeannette Huizinga, Miyuki Inoue, Lily van Leeuwen, Moira Mirck, Ilyas Nadjafi, Susanne Ohmann and Marjolijn Roeleveld

Documentation of the exhibition at puntWG: Ilya Rabinovich and Gert Jan van Rooij