From the Norwich Evening News: Making art is a bug’s life
Close up, out of context, they look like highly decorative pieces of jewellery. Except these sparkling pieces of gold, pearl and gem stones aren’t the work of a jeweller, rather they have been produced by a particularly industrious insect who will draw on whatever it finds to create a cocoon.
Caddis fly larvae are known to incorporate bits of whatever they can find into their cocoons, be it fish bone or bits of leaves. However when placed in a tank with flakes of gold and gemstones, the caddis flies simply create their protective sheaths from these materials instead.
More links:
- Pestival: Caddis Fly Sculptures
- Cabinet Magazine: Artist Project / Trichopterae
- Leonardo Online (author interview): The Wonderful Caddis Worm: Sculptural Work in Collaboration with Trichoptera