In 1830 a German naturalist named Renous left his house in San Fernando, Chile. At the house he left behind some caterpillars under charge of a girl to feed, telling her that they might turn into butterflies. This was rumoured through the town, and at last the Padres and Governor consulted together, and agreed it must be some heresy. When Renous returned to his house, he was arrested.

In September 1699, the German-born naturalist and scientific illustrator Maria Sibylla Merian went to Suriname. She collected and observed living insects and created detailed drawings for illustrations of insect's metamorphic processes. Her work in Suriname was an unusual and remarkable piece of work. Nevertheless, she became ridiculed in her time, and her fellow researchers largely ignored her work because it was not done in Latin.

***

Everything is fluid and in an eternal process, everything changes over time, changing shape, mass and expression depending on the impact of the circumstances. It moves and transforms, sometimes into an entirely unrecognizable form. Most processes are completely out of our control; It may feel anxiety-provoking, but on the other hand; it can also be soothing to know that change is always possible, nothing is static and forever.

With this installation in c4 projects, I wanted to create a room that is bothersome both mentally and psychically. But, it also seems to be in the middle of a process that has not yet been completed, a metamorphic place where the final stage is still unknown.

Metamorphis works with concepts such as change, transformation, fear and deliverance. The exhibition seizes the cyclical as the foundation and the desire for - or understanding of – that everything that seems paralyzed and static can change; that everything moves and transforms over time.

“This too will pass”

Like other types of pupae, the chrysalis stage is one in which there is little movement. However, some butterfly pupae are capable of moving the abdominal segments to produce sounds or to scare away potential predators.

In relation to the exhibition i have invited musician Jullie Hjetland and musician/composer Mikael Tobias to make an improvised Sound-performance, to create a transforming soundscape in the exhibition space. 

See video from part of the performance here: https://youtu.be/-OdjXSVeHgk

Mikael Tobias: http://mikaeltobias.com/
Jullie Hjetland: http://julliehjetland.dk/