The caterpillar carpet is a tribute to our amazing nature, to the biodiversity we are faced with preserving. Over the past year I have been exploring moths, swarmers, moths, butterflies and their caterpillars. The result is large-scale hand tufted and sculpted moths and butterflies in wool that tell stories of domesticated, red-listed and near-extinct species.
In the carpet we meet the caterpillar Turbulent Phosphila. A caterpillar that uses colour and pattern to distract and confuse potential predators. Which end is the head really? The caterpillar's tail end is clearly patterned and swollen and looks much more like a head than the actual head does! They live and feed in large clusters where their black and white stripes are disorientating and draw the eye away from an individual. In addition, their yellow bellies warn that they are poisonous, or at least would have us believe so.
With an exciting design of graphic lines and dots, it becomes the natural focal point of any room.
As a child I was very interested in butterflies, worms and insects. I studied them and was fascinated by their intense colours, shapes and textures. It's great to be able to return, in this project, and explore these insects anew in a craft technique.
In my art, I am driven by finding those exciting encounters. It can be interesting dialogues between different materials, the exciting combination with different craft techniques or encounters on a more conceptual level. Through creation I explore my inner world, and what is important to me. Creating is my way of expressing myself. I am inspired by skilled craftsmen and sometimes I work in different materials. There is always a drive to get better at what I do, a somewhat manic urge to refine technique and expression. Absolutely the best time for me is in the infatuation phase of a new craft technique!
