Spectacular Swarms of Cyanotype-Printed Butterflies Form Urban Guerrilla Art Installations

Posted By Helen Morgan On October 10, 2012 @ 5:14 pm In Animals,Art,carousel showcase,gallery | No Comments

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Artist Tasha Lewis ^[6] has traveled far and wide across the US installing her stunning blue butterfly swarms in the urban landscape. The installations are formed of hundreds of cyanotype ^[7] butterflies that have been printed onto cotton. Using powerful magnets placed within the fabric, each one is then placed onto metallic surfaces in a variety of patterns to create a swirling formation of colorful creatures.

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Lewis’s work takes care not to permanently affect the environment, and each of the blue cotton prints can be removed, to create a dazzling—yet temporary—intervention into the landscape ^[9]. According to the artist, the works are linked to the scientific use of cyanotype printing, which was a popular technique for image-making in the beginning of last century.

As a scientific method for documenting species, the cyanotype representation acts as as a stand in for the real thing, much as Lewis’s pieces bring vibrant scatterings of nature and its form into otherwise drab urban settings.

+ Tasha Lewis ^[6]

Images courtesy of Tasha Lewis

Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com

URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/spectacular-swarms-of-cyanotype-printed-butterflies-form-urban-guerilla-installations-by-tasha-lewis/

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[5]  : http://inhabitat.com/spectacular-swarms-of-cyanotype-printed-butterflies-form-urban-guerilla-installations-by-tasha-lewis/tasha-lewis-cyanotype-butterfly-3-edit/?extend=1

[6] Tasha Lewis: http://www.tashalewis.info/

[7] cyanotype: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanotype

[8] Image: http://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/10/tasha-lewis-cyanotype-butterfly-3-edit.jpeg

[9] intervention into the landscape: http://inhabitat.com/tag/temporary-art/

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