“Insects, worms and other small animals that carry out vital functions for life on earth have declined by 45 percent on average over 35 years, threatening human health, water quality and food supplies…”
-Steve Connor, “Vital invertebrates decline by 45 per cent, study finds,” independent.co.uk, July 2014.
Insects are often overlooked by their minuscule size and “ugly” features, but what is forgotten is their role in the circle of life and how their existence affects our entire ecosystem and environment. The insect population has dramatically declined over the last few decades and it has had nothing short of a disastrous affect on wildlife that depends on them and pollination. Habitat destruction, urbanization, and the use of pesticides are just some of the reasons that “insects, worms and other small animals that carry out vital functions for life on earth have declined by 45 per cent on average over 35 years, threatening human health, water quality and food supplies…”.
At UWM, our mission is to provide homes for these insects so they have the ability to reproduce, nest, and rest without their “habitat” being destroyed, in effect helping regrow the population. As art and design students, we would like to put a creative twist to the average insect motel. For my insect motel, I have designed a home with a Spanish flare, referring back to my roots and years spent living and traveling in Latin America. I lived part of the year in Chicago and another part of my year in Guanajuato, Mexico as a child and as I grew older I backpacked through Central and South America. The architecture is distinct in that you can see it’s Spanish influence throughout it’s bigger cities.
The insect my motel will primarily cater to are butterflies, monarch preferably. They were often seen here in Wisconsin, but as the population has declined, they are seldom spotted now. They are known for migrating to North America in the spring and traveling back down to Mexico as states like Wisconsin start seeing signs of a harsh winter. Their habitat is any meadow or field, but they lay their eggs on milkweed plants and are fond of nectaring, so places with several flowers and milkweed is where they will most likely be. The decline of milkweed has affected their population as it is the only source of food for a monarch caterpillar.
Before this project, it never occurred to me that this was an issue, or even if it was, how drastically it would affect our environment. Working on this insect motel has made me more aware of our Earth and the decline of these needed creatures. As a little girl I remember seeing butterflies and playing with bugs, now, I don’t even remember the last time I saw a butterfly just flying by.
This insect motel is made of wood provided by the university. There was a huge epidemic to the ash trees within the last few years and some was able to be restored and reused. It is a beautiful, dense, wood that we sanded down and worked with for a couple of weeks in the wood shop. Mine is designed to be mounted on a pole at a child’s height. My sculpture has 3 main components, all serving different purposes. The center console is for butterflies so they can rest. If you pull down the sides, you are able to look inside and see a butterflies! Just make sure you close it back up since they like to rest in dark areas. The two side departments are for any and all insects. Pine cones and logs are general spaces where bugs can crawl, house, nest, and rest.
Reflection
In the beginning of my project I think I was overly ambitious with the details, I wanted to keep my design simple and make if different by the smaller details like the tiles and the designs in the wood I had imagined. Once again, time constraints have gotten the best of me with my schedule and other finals. The last time I was in a wood shop I was 12 years old, so going back in was intimidating considering I would basically have to relearn everything.
During the process, starting with the design, I was very excited. However, with the many errors and hiccups I encountered with the design, including Google SketchUp, I became very frustrated. Wood is not a forgiving material. If you cut too much, its done. If you measure incorrectly, its done. If you break it, its done. The density and fact that its wood left none to very little room for mistakes. Then my situation with my tiles, not only did i not have enough, but I realized to get them attached to the ash was going to be a challenge in itself since the wood did not respond well to hammer and nails.
Overall, I would definitely have made some major major changes to my design had I known the issues I would face. The project has a wonderful message and even though I feel this sculpture does not represent me as an artist, I am happy that I at least made something that would go towards a good cause and that hopefully people will enjoy and even learn something from. That I do not regret. I will definitely make another insect motel at one point again. I will take this with me in life and everything I have learned in this entire class.