This work arranges 10,000 scarab beetles into a display, using the optical structures of their bodies to form images. Light directed onto the microscopic structures that remain on their surfaces allows each beetle to act as a pixel.
From a distance, the work appears as a single screen. Up close, the insect bodies that make up the image become visible. The scale of 10,000 beetles allows a continuous surface to register before the outlines of individual insects.
About the making of the work
On note, I write about collecting the insects, why I chose to use 10,000 beetles, and what I experienced while making the work.