Artist Claire Moynihan lives and works in rural Hertfordshire, England where she creates tiny sculptural insects and snails on felt balls using a variety of freeform embroidery techniques. After completing a collection of work Moynihan then organizes the pieces inside traditional entomological boxes which from a distance could almost pass for the real thing. See much more of her work in her gallery. (via lustik)
Manchester-based designer and illustrator Si Scott is known for his energetic and flowing style of illustration that has graced the packaging and advertising for some of the world’s top brands including Nike, Dove, Coca Cola, and many others. Among some of his most impressive works are his stylized illustrations of insects and other wildlife, drawn by hand with pen and ink. I strongly urge you to check out his Resonate series for Silent Studios/Silent Records, and there’s plenty more to see over on Facebook.
The BioniCopter is the latest robotic marvel from German technology firm Festo, a company known for the creation of numerous devices that mimic wildlife including birds, jellyfish and penguins. Meant to mimic the motions of a dragonfly the BioniCopter is capable of flying in all directions including backward, and can also hover indefinitely in the same spot. Via Festo:
In addition to control of the shared flapping frequency and twisting of the individual wings, each of the four wings also features an amplitude controller. The tilt of the wings determines the direction of thrust. Amplitude control allows the intensity of the thrust to be regulated. When combined, the remote-controlled dragonfly can assume almost any position in space. [... ] This unique way of flying is made possible by the lightweight construction and the integration of functions: components such as sensors, actuators and mechanical components as well as open- and closed-loop control systems are installed in a very tight space and adapted to one another. With the remote-controlled dragonfly, Festo demonstrates wireless real-time communication, a continuous exchange of information, as well as the ability to combine different sensor evaluations and identify complex events and critical states.
While many other remote-controlled dragonflies exist, many of which are available commercially as toys, the BioniCopter is the first device that can mimic the function of a plane, a helicopter, and a glider all in the same device. Learn more at Festo. (via rhumboogie)
It would appear no object is too small for artist Hasan Kale to utilize as a canvas for his miniature paintings. The Turkish artist makes use of everything from fruit seeds to the wings of taxidermied insects as a backdrop for depictions of his native Istanbul. See much more here, and watch the videos above to see him work… love how he uses his finger as a palette. (via bhakta)
Chicago-based jeweler Justin Gershenson-Gates recently grew a bit tired of creating jewelry after a show this summer and while experimenting with some watch part anatomy he decided to try his hand at spider and insect legs. One thing led to another a new series of small sculptural arthropods and insects was born. Justin tells me via email that each piece takes several hours to make and being unable to leave things unfinished he generally makes an entire new creature in one sitting, a monumental feat considering the scorpions can take an entire 12-hour work session as the watch springs, stems, gears and straps are assembled and soldered together (nothing is glued). I love the idea of the tiny light bulb for the spider abdomens.
If you’d like to see these crawly pieces up-close, you can see a few at the Bucktown Holiday Art Show December 8th and 9th, and you can also pick up some of the spiders on Etsy, at least for the moment. Tons more photos on Facebook. (via neatorama)
Over the past few months photographer David Chambon has been working on a phenomenal series of photos featuring insects covered in tiny water droplets. These are a few of my favorites but you can see dozens more over on 500px and Flickr. If you liked these also check out the dew-soaked macro photography of Sharon Johnston and Ondrej Pakan. (via faith is torment)
Ontario-based ceramicist Steve Irvine caught this wonderful long exposure shot of fluttering moths swirling around a floodlight at night. Via National Geographic:
Fluttering wings leave lacy trails as moths beat their way to a floodlight on a rural Ontario lawn. The midsummer night’s exposure, held for 20 seconds, captured some of the hundreds of insects engaged in a nocturnal swarm.
You can see the photograph a bit larger here, and prints are available in their art store.
(via neatorama)
Photographer Shikhei Goh lives and works on a small industrialized island called Batam Island, that’s a 45 minute boat ride south of Singapore. Goh calls himself a “macro addict” and indeed his portfolio is loaded with incredible photographs of the local flora and fauna of Batam from turtles, lizards, birds and especially insects. My favorite images are his intimate shots of insect eyes that appear metallic and almost robotic. See much more over on 500px.
