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| Our Moth arrangement |
Last night was unusually cold, which made for a mediocre
catch and no new species. So rather than spending the morning identifying moths, I
helped Carry Akroyd, our next featured artist, set up her exhibition in the
gallery. She is showing her latest lithograph series, “Found in the Fields”, based on John Clare’s poetry celebrating nature and wildlife in the English countryside. You might not realize it but you are already
familiar with at least one of her pieces by now… the Coxwold nightscape at the
top of this blog! I’ve seen quite a few of her latest works and I can honestly
tell you they are worth a visit. The exhibition begins this Sunday, details can
be found on our website.
Anyway, as I was helping her hang the prints at suitable
heights and in complimentary clusters, I realized how much thought and care goes
into deciding how to 'present' to the viewing public. I wondered if I
was presenting our moths to Shandy Hall visitors in the manner they deserved. Our
moths look fantastic when they are spotted on a leaf or focused and cropped to
the center of a photograph, but if someone new to ‘mothing’ must peer into a
dark trap filled with egg cartons and caddis flies, they might be less
impressed. Of course, some museums still have their age-old moths brilliantly
aligned in display cases, but the sight also invokes sadness at the tragedy of
the moths’ fates.
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| Moths on display |
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| Hillier's illustration in the Shell Nature Studies book |
We were inspired to set up a still life of our own. Now when
visitors come they can look into the cage and find all of the best catches of
the day organized into a staged and idyllic, but appealing scene. What do you think of
our first try? (See the photograph at the top of this post).
Before I go, let me just remind you that this Sunday is the
last day for submissions to the Cryptic Crossword. Don’t miss out on
your chance to win a prize!
Post by Helen Levins
