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Giant Silk Moths draw crowds to UEL Visual Arts showcase

Wednesday 2 June 2010

Joanna Tidey's work. Credit - Derrick Wess

The traditional end of year exhibition which showcases the work of graduating students across all of the Visual Arts disciplines at the University of East London has been given an additional buzz this year, thanks to an installation by student Joanna Tidey which features a collection of Giant Silk moths.

Along with an enormously diverse range of work including contributions in Fine Art, Photography, Graphic Design, Printed Textile Design, Animation, Printmaking and Illustration; Joanna is exhibiting a piece incorporating over eighty Atlas, African Moon, Emperor Gum and American Oak Silk moths. Some of these were brought in as fully-fledged moths with others emerging from their cocoons during the setting up of the installation itself. Joanna personally collected the majority of moths and cocoons from Stratford Upon Avon Butterfly Farm.

Joanna says of the installation: “My work touches on how aesthetics evoke emotions. Butterflies and moths are a prime example of this:  Butterflies are stereotyped into being a thing of beauty, with their brightly coloured and patterned wings, conjuring up the happiness of warm summer days. However moths due to their dull muted colours and night flight brings up childhood fears. Some species of butterflies however fly by dusk and some species of moth by day and are as colourful as any of the brightest butterflies”. 

The untitled installation is just one of the highlights of the exhibition, which opens tomorrow (Thursday 3 June) at 6pm and then runs daily from 10am to 6pm until Sunday.

Senior Lecturer Lee Maelzer said: “This year’s Fine Art degree show will exhibit work in latex, cloth, video cassettes and indeed moths. There will be taxidermy, embroidery, film, sculpture, installation and paint. The only common thread is talent. It has been a privilege to see this group grow in ability and confidence. Whatever the future holds for them, we hope their lives will always be coloured and enriched by their time at UEL”. 

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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