INSECT TECHTONICS
(FABULOUS BEASTS)
In a series of beautifully crafted prints, Giles Revell presents stunning images of British insects on an extraordinary scale. Focusing on form and surface in minute and meticulous detail, he reveals astonishing sculptural, textural and engineering qualities of these tiny creatures.
Revell is an artist but cleverly plays the role of a scientist, tracker and taxidermist, by embracing complex technologies, such as a scanning electron microscopy, digital software and cutting-edge print technology, to construct these monumental images of minute forms.
First the insect is plucked from the anonymity of a garden, field or park. The specimen is then preserved, dehydrated and carefully arranged before being dusted in gold and received in to the microscope. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a type of microscope that uses a focused beam of electrons to scan the surface of a sample to create a very high resolution image.
The resulting images are transferred to the computer where they were painstakingly sewn together, digitally rebuilding the shape, form and texture of these tiny organisms. Subverting the scientific process of microscopic documentation, the dirt, grit and deformities were erased, revealing the sculptural and textural qualities of insects, and the beauty of its form in a perfected state.
In so doing, Giles connects photography with science and sculpture and builds on the long tradition in the history of art, in which hidden worlds within nature are exposed and explored.
Giles Revell’s scanned electron micrographs of insects such as a ladybird or whirligig beetle may at first glance appear to be positioned within the tradition of natural history illustration. But it is the flawlessness of the images and their scale that hints at the manipulative and artistic process by which they were created.
In transforming these tiny insects into huge perfected forms, Giles Revell cuts to the heart of the debate about the status of the photographic document as both ‘objective’ and ‘truthful’ and as ‘subjective’ and ‘constructed’. For what appears to be a faithful and authentic photographic reproduction of an insect, is in actual fact the result of aesthetic digital manipulation. The insects become abstracted shells of their former selves. This metamorphosis of creatures that usually irritate or disgust, into objects of art and intrigue, challenges us to find beauty in unexpected places.
In 2000 Giles Revell won a pioneer Award from NESTA (The National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts) for his innovative exploration of the potential for computer technology and scientific equipment to be used as creative tools. These striking images are the product of his poetic approach to science, technology, and the natural world.
The work is in the permanent collection at the Natural History museum and the V&A. The museum scale images are up to 2.5meters and have been exhibited in many major institutions and galleries throughout the UK.
A SELECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS FROM FABULOUS BEASTS ARE AVAILABLE AS LIMITED EDITION PRINTS
IF YOU WOULD LIKE A PRINT THAT IS NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE,
PLEASE GET IN TOUCH
