Tania Kovats’ new artwork ‘MOONMOTH’ inspired by 17th Century naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian
25–26 May 2024 at Aviva Studios in Manchester
For its 2024 edition, WOW (Women of the World) Festival has invited Invisible Dust to curate a new UnNatural History commission by Tania Kovats whose new work ‘MOONMOTH’ explores the legacy of Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717). Kovats’ drawings will be of cycles, light and dark, balance and symmetry, the lunar cycle, transformation, metamorphism. ‘MOONMOTH’ will be exhibited as part of the first ever WOW Manchester festival, produced by The WOW Foundation and Factory International.
To explore Maria Sibylla Merian’s legacy in relation to the current biodiversity crisis, Invisible Dust has brought Tania Kovats together with biologist Diana Arzuza curator of the entomological collection at Manchester Museum, Jeanne Robinson entomologist from Glasgow’s Hunterian Museum and Dr Jenna Ashton of The University of Manchester - a lecturer in Heritage Studies and research platform Creative Manchester's Creative and Civic Futures lead. Kovats’ new work, ‘MOONMOTH’, will explore insects’ need for dark skies and how our human influence through artificial lighting is currently threatening the animals Merian studied. Today, over 40% of the world’s insect species are in serious decline, and moths are vital pollinators impacted by artificial light at night.
Maria Sibylla Merian was an incredible scientific illustrator and entomologist who is credited with ‘changing the nature of art and science’ and who, 300 years ago, made discoveries through her art about metamorphosis and life cycles at a time when there was no scientific idea about the relationship between caterpillars, moths and butterflies. During her lifetime women had little or no access to University education. Still, through her stepfather Jacob Marrell (1614–1681), Merian learnt engraving and from age 13 began keeping silk worms (life cycle video in link), seeing with her own eyes their metamorphosis in their 6-8 week life cycle.
Maria Sibylla Merian’s discoveries and contribution to natural science were enhanced by an extraordinary journey from 1699–1701 to Suriname, South America with her daughter where she created the drawings for ‘Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium’ (1705). This was both a scientifically and artistically internationally acclaimed publication of drawings and watercolours of caterpillars, pupae, moths and butterflies interacting with plants. Crucially, this book focused on the interdependence of species 200 years before the modern notion of ecology. Carl Linneaus, the founder of modern taxonomy was able to name over 100 species thanks to Merian’s Suriname drawings.
Alongside this new commission, interdisciplinary students at The University of Manchester will attend workshops on art and science collaborations, hosted by Tania Kovats and curators at Invisible Dust.
This project is supported through the prestigious Simon Industrial and Professional (SIP) Fellowship, The University of Manchester awarded to Invisible Dust.
WOW Festival tickets are available here: https://factoryinternational.org/whats-on/wow-manchester/
