I've had the good fortune to work on several projects with local Albany, NY artists Matt Hart and Chip Fasciana. For this project they were commissioned by the Albany Pine Bush Preserve to build a large steel Karner Butterfly.
From the Pine Bush website: "Located in the heart of the Capital District Region, the Albany Pine Bush represents one of the best remaining examples of an inland pine barrens ecosystem in the world... its open areas present ideal conditions for wild blue lupine, a beautiful wildflower which is critical to the survival of the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly."
They wanted the butterfly to have a sound making element that was also interactive. They called on me to propose an electronic solution. I have always dreamed of an opportunity to create a solar powered sound sculpture, and I had several prototypes lying on my soldering table. So, over the last few weeks I built some circuits. We also installed a speaker in the belly of the butterfly.
collaborators: Matt Hart, Chip Fasciana
Permanent installation at the Pine Bush Discovery Center, Albany, NY