In January I took part in The Aftermath Exhibition at Bar Lane Studios, York
organised by Jade Blood;
THE AFTERMATH EXHIBITION
Saturday 12 January - Saturday 16 February
To welcome in 2013 we will be putting on a special
exhibition and program of events that play with
the concept of the dreaded JANUARY !!!
Work on show by the following artists;
Melanie Alexandrou, Jade Blood, Steve Humble,
Sophie Polyviou and Chalky The Yorkie.
In response to the theme I created new work entitled:
Hibernation and Torpor
(the animals have got the right idea)
A look at how other mammals in the
UK spend the bleak winter months.
Maybe we can all learn something here.
Also feat. a cautionary tale about butterflies.
I made linocut and typewritten fact sheets about the 3 mammals in the UK that hibernate; the dormouse, the bat, and the hedgehog.
Accompanying these were blank fact sheets that visitors where invited to fill in about themselves, including information such as hibernation preparation, hibernation temperature and duration and hibernacula. (Photographs of the filled in fact sheets coming soon)
Unbeknownst to some, certain butterflies also hibernate. Species include Brimstone, Comma, Large Tortoiseshell, Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock.
Sometimes butterflies make bad choices. Sometimes they pick a room in your house as their hibernacula. This is very bad for the butterfly because as soon as you light your fire or turn your heating on the butterfly will wake up, thinking it's spring, when it clearly isn't. They waste valuable hibernating energies flapping around which they need to make it through the winter. If you find a hibernating butterfly in a unsuitable place, you can put it in a dark, unheated room (or shoebox with air-holes and exit slot), and give it some food (sugary-water-soaked-kitchen-towel). Then hope for the best.
More photos of the exhibition (inc. 12 Days of Christmas by Steve Humble (see above), Fake Tan Salon by Sophie Polyviou, yard sale by Chalky the Yorkie, and an installation by Jade Blood) and launch night (which included ping pong, records, balloons and chocolate wafer sticks):
