A new, gold-leafed piece of work - Lumen - based on light reflection and lighting effects observed in nature. Each butterfly is individually hand cut. It is approximately 125cm x 60cm in a box frame and went out to the Rowley Gallery last week. Contact the Rowley here.
We eagerly await the results of The Big Butterfly Count, a survey which gives an indication of the state of the butterfly population in the UK, but there was some really good news in the Guardian and Times newspapers of late of the resurgence of the Large Blue species of butterfly which was thought to be extinct in the UK at one point, but has been spotted in huge numbers this year.
Conservationists first noticed the decline in large blue numbers in the early 1900s and became alarmed in the 1950s when numbers dropped significantly. They spent 50 years trying to halt the decline in numbers of the large blue and declared it extinct in 1979. It was only in 1984 when the large blue was reintroduced from Sweden that conservationists discovered more about its life cycle and that it could only survive in the nest of one species of red ant.
The large blue has a very unusual life cycle. It feeds for three weeks on the flower buds of wild thyme or marjoram and the caterpillar then produces scents and songs to fool a certain species of red ant (Myrmica sabuleti), into believing that it is one of their own grubs and is carried underground into the ants' nest and incorporated into their brood. It then feeds on ant grubs for 10 months before pupating in the nest and emerging to crawl above ground as a butterfly.
This year about 10,000 adult large blue butterflies were recorded and estimated to be active in Gloucestershire and Somerset based on the observations of huge numbers of eggs laid on the thyme and marjoram flowers which are abundant in the reserves in those areas. If numbers remain at their present levels then the large blue - Britain's most endangered butterfly - could be removed from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species. It is not only the large blue that are benefitting and flourishing due to the knowledge and applications of scientists and conservators, but also other species of plants, flies and frogs who were also thought to be in terminal decline.
Our eco-system is so amazing, and it surprising how small changes that we humans make on the landscape impact so badly on other species. Kudos to the scientists and conservators making these discoveries, allowing us to alter our bad habits and thus improve the environment. Hopefully we can continue to reverse the decline in numbers of as many species as possible that we share this earth with so that they can flourish for many generations to come.
Whilst enjoying the Serpentine pavilion and summerhouses in Kensington Gardens earlier this summer, I also popped into the Serpentine gallery to view the work of Alex Katz. Katz's exhibitions in London are always a draw for me. I posted about his last show in London in March of last year here.
This latest exhibition concerns his attempts to capture the light in landscape at different times of day as well as the change of seasons. I do like the fact that some of the paintings are very minimal in their mark-making and verge on the abstract. They are like exercises in shape and colour when reduced to the basics. I think the portraits are more successful and descriptive, though the multiple figure paintings are the weakest in the show. Wonderful though, that he is still finds the inspiration to paint at 89 years of age.
Alex Katz: Quick Light
until 11th September
Serpentine Gallery
Kensington Gardens
London, W2
www.serpentinegalleries.org
Lots of architectural activity in Hyde Park around the Serpentine Gallery this summer with the installation of these four summer houses responding to the Neo-classical Queen Caroline's Temple built in 1734, and also the annual Serpentine pavillion commission.
I enjoyed the ephemerality of this summerhouse, and the energy and movement in the wire's loops and whorls. It is by Yona Friedman and was designed so that it can take on a variety of different configurations.
This summerhouse by Asif Khan was inspired by the fact that Queen Caroline's Temple was positioned to allow it to catch the sunlight from the Serpentine lake. It consists of 100 wooden staves which appear to grow out of the ground and two metal discs inside to reflect the light and frame the vista. The staves give really interesting optical effects as you wonder through this structure.
This is Queen Caroline'sTemple a neo-classical structure built in 1734, the inspiration for the summerhouses.
Kunlé Adeyemi's summerhouse is a deconstructed version of the Queen Caroline Temple, and the surfaces are meant to reflect those of the Temple. I like the chunky solidity of this structure.
I loved the fluidity and elegance of this summerhouse structure by Barkow Leibinger, based on a design for a pavilion which used to stand in the Park that would mechanically rotate to offer 360 degree views of the park. I was so disappointed to arrive to see it fenced off whilst undergoing repairs because of all the rain that fell in June. Apparently German design and precision engineering is no match for the British summer!
The main draw architecturally however is this pavilion designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), which is described as being 'an unzipped wall of fibreglass bricks'. It is a triumph, and perhaps the best of the pavilion designs of recent years.
Serpentine Pavilion and Summer Houses
until 9th October
Kensington Gardens
London, W2
www.serpentinegalleries.org
