Sunday 24 July 2011

The Evolution of the Peppered Moth

  
Not the most dramatic of pieces, is it?!
 
Maybe I’m being too literal here, but I felt it had to be subtle. You see the Peppered Moth is a lovely example of natural selection. Before the Industrial Revolution, the pale variety survived best as it hid from predators on light coloured trees. When the trees were darkened by soot and pollution, the darker moths flourished as the pale ones were now more easily picked off by birds. And today, with cleaner air again, it’s the pale ones who are becoming dominant again.  
 
So – most of my embroidered moths don’t show up much. On purpose. Perhaps not the greatest idea for a piece of art! But hey, Darwin is my hero, this idea has been driving me crazy for ages; I’ve got it out of my system now.

It’s machine embroidery on Lutradur and soluble fabrics.

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