Though I’m missing out on Brood XIX, I am pleased that somewhere on the wide internets has a scan of my favorite toy, or rather, my favorite garbled translation of an insect-themed toy:
The Ring To Use As A Key Ring
I had several of these for years, saved mostly for their bizarre packaging. Their electronic calls were, however incredibly un-like a cicada, and more like a police siren.
Mallophaga from "Buch Der Welt" by Carl Hoffmann
Dynastes beetle from "Buch Der Welt" by Carl Hoffmann
Odonata from "Buch Der Welt" by Carl Hoffmann
Several plates from “Das Buch Der Welt”, an 1845 tome by Carl Hofmann. The context-free plates were found here, along with other pretty butterflies and beetles. I am of course fondest of the plate depicting several Mallophaga, or chewing lice. I haven’t been able to find out much about the book or the author, as the images provided are mostly courtesy of breakers who have pulled out the plates for individual sale. A pity, as I would love to find out more about the illustrations! 
For July 4th I went adventuring with friends in Mendocino, CA, where late rains have kept things green well into Summer. On a hike in Van Damme State Park, we stopped by a bridge to watch for fish, birds, and of course insects. When my friend Dan pointed towards the stream and yelled out “Look! It’s poop that’s moving!”, I knew instantly what he would be referring to- caddisfly larvae! But when I leaned over to have a look, I was surprised by the sheer size of them! I quickly scampered down to the stream, and grabbed one of the chili pepper-sized larvae minding their own business on a rock. I’ve seen caddisfly larvae in the wild before, in California and Michigan, but these big ones were new to me. After a moment of holding it, the delightfully spidery arms of the pupae slowly emerged from its case, to see what was going on:
Caddisflies are insects that are vaguely related to butterflies and moths. Unlike other insect larvae such as mayflies and stoneflies, caddisfly larvae undergo a complete metamorphosis (holometabolism) with larvae, pupae, and adult. The adult looks like a smallish and often drab moth, and doesn’t feed, living only a few weeks to mate.
The larvae are completely aquatic, and being a slow-moving target, construct cases out of silk and objects from their environment. The type of case varies with species, and also the kind of materials present, such as rocks, leaves, sticks, or shells. Not only functional architecture, caddisfly cases are works of art!
Here are three of the caddisfly larvae I found, their owners hunkered down deep inside:
(I placed them back in the water afterwards)
The small rocks, many of them translucent quartz, fit together perfectly, like a jigsaw puzzle. Each rock is carefully selected and placed, held together strongly with silk. The case itself serves not only as protection for the larva, but also as a cocoon for the pupa. The case is cast off once the adult emerges, and swims to the surface to fly.
Several artists have been inspired by the artwork of caddisflies, most famously Hubert Duprat, a French sculptor who raised caddisflies in tanks filled with gold flakes, pearls, and precious stones. The insect then selects the ones it wants, creating its home out of . Thankfully the Leonardo article where I first read about these works is viewable online.
Hubert Duprat, tubes de trichoptères, 1980-1997
Hubert Duprat, tubes de trichoptères, 1980-1997
The resultant creations are fantastic, but I find their original cases to be far more enchanting and inspiring. Here’s a small selection of some natural beauties.
Limnephilus (shellcase caddisfly)
another Limnephilus species
Caddisfly larva from Susquehanna, PA
I’ll probably find excuses to post more caddisfly-related stuff in the future. I haven’t realized how much I adore these creatures.
The Oreo Cameos of Judith Klausner recently made the rounds on the internet, but lesser known are her sculptures using insect parts. They are a flip side to her fast-food craftworks, giving an added dimension to her motives beyond the humorously delicious.
Mantis Endoskeleton by Judith Klausner
Triumph by Judith Klausner
The Facts of Life by Judith Klausner
The Facts of Life (above) is made out of carefully arranged cicada and bee wings. Dead insects, beeswax, fingernail clippings, and disposable foods are vehicles for her explorations into the unloved and discarded ephemera of the world.
Her artist statement in particular discusses the double-edged sword of her interactions with insects: People repulsed by her use of discarded insect wings, and people concerned that she was killing insects for her art. These two vocal reactions reveal the ambiguity we have with the insect world: Human empathy spiraled with reactive repulsion.
Happy Friday again! A week of camping and being out-of-doors makes for slow posting. But here’s a wonderful insect-filled and energetic tune thanks to Psapp, called “Mister Ant”.
http://youtu.be/dfmyh0wnswk
Tin cans and grapevines
Growing at our door
The bustling ants nest
Seeping through the floor
One hundred soldiers
Marching down our road
Each with a letter on his back
To spell a secret code
Happy Friday! Time to rock out with your cerambycid boyfriend, and watch out for evil acupuncturists!
Sadly no embedding for this video, but go clicky.
While I love it when artists talk about science, I really enjoy scientists talking (and publishing) about art: Bug Girl has the scoop on an open-access scientific journal called Insects that will have an entire issue edited by Jennifer Angus, a renowned insect artist. I cannot wait to see what gets submitted!
There is one wonderful paper already submitted, entitled “Noninsect Arthropods in Popular Music“. The biologist Joseph R. Coelho used Amazon as a research tool to find references to arachnids, crustaceans, myriapods, and other arthropods in song titles and albums. From his abstract: “The occurrence of noninsect arthropods in popular music was examined in order to explore human attitudes toward these species, especially as compared to insects.” The article follows with a breakdown of non-insect arthropods by subphyla, order and common name. Lots of hits for “Black Widow” and “Spider” and “Crab”, but there’s a few surprises, such as the 5 songs with Vinegaroon in the title! Who knew?
However there are certainly a few holes caused in the data set by using only Amazon as a research tool. For example, the author struck out when hunting for songs about isopods, but there’s an entire compilation album on the internet dedicated to the internet-famous Bathynomus giganteus, the giant isopod. Since it’s not for sale commercially, it was missed.
This is science dear to the Endless-Swarm’s heart, and since it’s an open-access journal, you can read it online right feaking now. The article goes beyond mere cataloging of song titles, and offers analysis and insight into perception of arthropods in culture and history.
Haunting poster of the 1966 film Mademoiselle by polish artist Franciszek Starowieyski. As far as I can tell there are no insects in this film, though there is plenty of sex and death.
Northern House Mosquito by Elizabeth Goluch
American Cockroach by Elizabeth Goluch
Elizabeth Goluch is a metalsmith from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her gallery contains (frustratingly small) images of well-loved, despised, and under-appreciated invertebrates wrought in precious metals and gemstones. Goluch’s insects have working hinges, and each holds within them a tiny treasure, an object that is often a play on their name, or other association. Her violin beetle contains a tiny violin bow. The ladybug hinges open to reveal an intricate house on fire. The praying mantis contains… a male mantis head. What is more, her reverence and fascination with insects goes well beyond ladybugs and dragonflies (all too common in insect-related jewelry). Her copper and silver cockroach opens to reveal.. a small cockroach that has an even smaller delicate jewel cockroach within, an inspired reference to the fabled fecundity of Blattids!
Earwig by Elizabeth Goluch
Earwig by Elizabeth Goluch
Sadly, my absolute favorite in this series, her European Earwig, has images so small I cannot make out what wonderful treasure it contains.. I think it’s a fresh-water pearl, but unsure. Just take a moment to consider: Earwig. Copper and Silver. With pearls inside. It just makes me so happy to see an unloved insect get this kind of attention! If that wasn’t enough, she has also constructed woodlouse-inspired rings and terrifying jellyfish. I would love to see these works in person.
Especially the earwig.
Written in 1921 by the Karel and Josef Čapek, The Insect Play (Ze života hmyzu) Is a masterful fantastic farce in which an inebriated drifter, disgusted with humanity, wanders into the forest, and observes the lives of the insects around him. He looks upon, and occasionally interacts with, militaristic ants, philosophizing moths, slick parasites, and obsessed beetles. If this sounds a tad familiar, it should be no surprise then to find that the play was in fact the inspiration for Viktor Pelevin’s The Life Of Insects.
Indeed the insects in Čapek’s play exhibit the same combination of human and invertebrate, sometimes acting as one of the other, but more often a delightfully satiric combination of the two. And like Pelevin’s short stories, The Insect Play (also known as The World We Live In) doesn’t just point at laugh at insects any more than it points and laughs at humanity. In combining the two, The Insect Play is really concerned about the greater questions of how to live in this world, once life is given to us. A lovely summary of the play and its history is found here.
1922 performance of The Insect Play
The play is apparently well known by costume designers, as it is often a joy to sink creative teeth into inspired combinations of insects and humans, some almost entirely entomological:
Larva Costume from Czech Theatrical Archives
To the more human, with hints of their insectile nature:
Catalina Foothills High School production of The Insect Play
Though the play is concerned chiefly with familiar allegorical insects such as butterflies, dung beetles, crickets, ants, and moths, there is one notable exception. Possibly the only parasitic wasp to have a starring role in a theatrical play, an enterprising Ichneumon Wasp (described as an “ichneumon fly” in the play) gleefully hunts and kills crickets for his bored and whiny larvae.
Last Sunday I attended an inspired reading of the play at Cutting Ball Theater in San Francisco, part of their forgotten works series. Even though I was already a fan of many of the actors in the ensemble, the entire cast was superbly energized. The enjoyment and humor they brought to their roles was aided by the translation of the play the director Bennet Fisher had unearthed, which dispenses with the annoying singsong rhyme that is more popular. Instead of sounding like an old Merrie Melodies cartoon, the dialogue is witty, hilarious, and relevant. I certainly hope that this reading metamorphoses into a full production, wings and all!
Coincidentally, a 1960 BBC television production of The Insect Play was recently rebroadcast at the same time last week-
Scene from unloved 1960 BBC production of The Insect Play
Sadly, this version was as unloved today as it was then. I do hope to see it via the BFI National Archive, if only to hear the work by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, in which “each insect type is accorded its own electronic leitmotif”!
In any case, I am pleased as pupae to add a “theater” category to my endless swarm blog. Soon this play will be joined by another verminous event: Kafka’s Metamorphosis, which opened in Berkeley’s Aurora Theater this month! Hooray for bugs on stage!
tumbled swarm