In my previous blog post I provided a sneak peek of the project I was working on during my internship here at the Triplehorn collection. The project is now finished! The inspiration for this project came from an assignment I completed for my pattern design class at the Columbus College of Art & Design. As part of the assignment I had to study the work of a designer that I could relate to and create a pattern inspired by their work. After discussions with my instructor, I chose Ella Doran, who is known for creating and photographing patterns through found objects and textures. Her images are then taken into Adobe Photoshop and digitally manipulated to create seamless patterns that are then applied onto household items. I knew I had seen work like this before, but up until that moment it hadn’t registered that I could be doing something similar.
Based on the knowledge I gained in that class and the training received at the insect collection, I decided that I would create a pattern that was not only aesthetically pleasing, but could also teach the viewer a little bit about the insects depicted. By that time I had also decided to focus on beetles.
The first step was to pick out the specimens from the collection that I would use to build the patterns. I started by going through several of the collection’s cabinets and marking the drawers containing specimens that I thought were diverse in shape and color. In this initial round I picked 50 to 60 beetle specimens that fit my concept for the project. From those initial picks I separated the top 11 and started working.
The collection has specific protocols for imaging their specimens, which involve 1) attaching a unique identification number (printed on a small plastic tag) to the specimen, 2) transcribing the specimen label for databasing purposes, and 3) adding a small purple “IMAGED” tag to all specimens that are photographed. For my project I had to go through these steps and then work on editing the images that would be used to create the patterns.
Insects are bilaterally symmetric, which means that both sides of the body (left and right) are the same when split along the center. This can be easily observed when watching an insect while it’s alive, such as an ant crawling on the pavement. But when an insect dies, the body starts to dry and curl up in odd ways and by the end the insect appears to be asymmetrical. Symmetry is critical for the patterns I wanted to create, so I decided to mirror all the images of the beetles in order to keep the bilateral symmetry.
Once I had photographed and edited each image, it was time to play around with creating patterns. I started with an idea as to how I wanted the insects to be arranged, but as the work progressed I felt that the initial design was lacking complexity. After a few more unsuccessful attempts, I finally was able to create a more intricate pattern that included all of the specimens I wanted. Each pattern that I created was done through a process in Photoshop that allows the image to smoothly repeat no matter how large the final image. From there it was minor tweaking until I was happy with my final pattern.
I feel as though the collection has become my second home so I am sad to say that my internship at the Triplehorn Insect Collection is coming to a close. Here I have learned many valuable skills that will further my goal of merging art and science. I plan to continue coming in once or twice a week in order to keep working alongside the collection staff, so that I may keep learning, improving, and producing new patterns using the resources available to me. I hope to create several more patterns by August using various other insects that could be applied to everyday objects. (see examples below)
Mock-ups created through Society6.
I would like to thank Jordan Reynolds for providing training on the use of the photographic equipment and the image stacking software. He also guided me through several problems during my project which has helped me to create my final image. Besides his work here at the collection, Jordan is a new media artist, actively creating original work to be shown in galleries. I highly recommend viewing his personal work on Instagram or visiting his website.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without Dr. Luciana Musetti and her incredible passion for insects. Her drive to share insect diversity with the world has resulted in a group of amazing staff members and a creative workspace. Luciana pushes the envelope to improve upon display ideas and engage viewers in an educational manner. She has truly made my internship worthwhile.
About the author: Evie Moran is a Columbus-based fine art photographer skilled in microscopic imaging, archival preservation/imaging, and shoot coordination, seeking projects where she can add value within academia. She started her internship at the Triplehorn Insect Collection in January 2018. Contact Evie here at the blog or at evievmoran.com. You can also follow her on Instagram @eviemoran