My spare moments are spent with nature. My passions lay in the space occupied by insects,  reptiles and arachnids. I trail walk, I take so much joy just lying in the grass and spotting  the tiny insects going about their day. There is something about being in nature that feels  like more than home- it feels as though it is a part of my own soul. This past semester of  university has been the busiest I have been in my life. I love university- I love learning and  creating art, however the entire semester was overtaken by an inexplicable pain in my  heart. As time progressed, I realised how little time I had spent with nature, and how much  that was impacting me. A busy semester meant almost a complete lack of being outside,  especially in places that were not cityscapes or suburbia. I cannot eloquently articulate the  longing I feel to just be in nature. It is a stronger feeling than solostagia- which I am also  more than familiar with. Rather, this longing feels innate, deep and incredibly real.  

I decided that my final project would be a way for me to reconnect with nature, even in the  smallest ways. “Speculative fabulations”- a fictional future that I could create. A future  where I could become a part of an ecosystem. I often feel as though the microscopic world  is where I belong, especially as most arthropods are artists themselves. I wish that I could  work alongside the caterpillars as they create their cocoons, and listen to constructive  criticism from a spider that has spent her lifetime building webs. My fiction would be this.  An opportunity to experience life apart from being human. The creation of “Cocoon” did  exactly this. I chose to partake in the job of creating my own cocoon, just like every other  bug. I aimed to create a safe space for me to metamorphose and grow.  

I felt that it was most important to draw my inspiration from nature for this project. I  avoided looking into how other artists has considered and interpreted the insect world, and  rather devoted time to looking into arthropods. I did not want any influences standing  between the bugs and I. As bugs are the smallest artists, I found an abundance of beauty,  especially in the creations of bagworm moths and caddisflies.  

The process of creating “Cocoon” allowed me to experience the job of a bug. My first task  was collecting materials, specifically sticks that would make the base structure. I took my 

time choosing each perfect stick that would have structural integrity and a beautiful shape.  One of my largest inspirations for this step was bagworm moths. Bagworm moths create  tall shell-like structures on their back. These structures are, more often than not, created  with sticks. I wanted to emulate their own decisions of materials. I was also able to take  that opportunity to spend time outside- and excuse to reconnect my heart to nature. Once  they were collected, I began to map out the shape of my cocoon. As I tied them together, I  paid attention to the shapes I was creating, using many triangles to maintain the strength  of the structure. The weaving of the canvas onto the frame was the most time consuming  aspect as I had to carefully consider each stitch. It was meditative, and I spent much of the  time while I was stitching thinking about how this is what some animals do on a daily  basis, like golden orb-weavers who create a new web each night. I felt hopeful that a spider  would be proud of my work.  

When considering speculative fabulations on a broader level, I often feel humanity  furthering itself from nature every day. With new technologies, packaged food,  skyscrapers. I wished to envision a future where people were able to return to nature,  perhaps in their own cocoons. A further development of this artwork could be a collection  of many cocoons, all suspended together. Every cocoon would be different depending on  the materials available to each person, what makes them feel safe, and how they choose to  protect and express themselves. This inspiration behind this speculation comes from  caddisfly larvae. Caddisfly larvae create structures around themselves for protection,  choosing from materials available to them (sticks, sand, grass). Artist Hubert Duprat  collaborated with caddisfly larvae on a piece called Trichoptères where he surrounded the  bugs with gold, pearls and turquoise. The larvae used silk to adhere the pieces together,  creating beautiful and precious structures (Jobson, 2014). I learnt about this project after  the creation of “Cocoon”, and it lead me to consider how each individual would create their  own cocoon, and also figure out that I had undergone a similar process.  

Each panel of my cocoon was highly considered. The doilies, flowers and string were all  materials I already owned. I believed that this was similar to the caddisflies, who choose  the materials around them. I was resourceful, and it also meant that the cocoon was a  product of my own environment. However I did purchase the canvas and the lace. I  decided to do this as both of them felt very feminine to me, which in turn made me feel  safe. A cocoon is a safe haven- I believed it was important to reflect that in my materials. I  also created a spiderweb, simply to put my weaving skills to the test, and to explore how 

delicate real spiderwebs are. The piece is not fully enclosed as I wished for light and wind  to filter through.  

Scale was another aspect of my work that I carefully considered. If time allowed, or I had  the opportunity to continue on this project, I would love if I could scale the project up to fit  me, and hopefully hold me. What I believe is not considered enough about insects is that  they are building structures that can cover their entire bodies, or are creating homes that  are massive even to the large scale of a human. Termite mounds are ginormous, however  the termites who make it are not. Although my project was big enough to understand the  enormity of some insect’s structures, it was not scaled correctly.  

The cocoon was suspended from the ceiling at eye level. The choice to suspend it was  obvious- moths and butterflies crawl out of their cocoon and they need to be able to hang  freely, so that they can pump liquid into their wings, which they are not able to do within  the cocoon. I chose eye level simply so that my artwork could be observed from all angles. I  considered hanging it closer to the ceiling so that it would be observed from afar, however  all the details were so intricate they would have been lost.  

Admittedly, this was a self indulgent artwork. My goal was to explore my own fabulations,  to reconnect with nature and to explore the experience of bugs. However, I would love if  the audience took the opportunity to consider how they could personally reconnect with  nature, or step outside the human experience. While my passion lays with insects,  arachnids and reptiles, another individual could find inspiration in the way a bird builds a  nest or a rabbit digs a burrow. I believe that each person should consider how they can  reconnect with nature in a way that inspires them. Taking the time to appreciate all the  practices and arts of any animal is an appreciation for the natural world we live in.  

“Cocoon” allowed me to take the smallest look into a world that isn’t mine, and to  appreciate the artists that live on a micro level. I felt as though I worked alongside the bugs  to create an artwork that is my own safe space. I found value in process, through  meditative practices and decision making, however I also created a piece that will hopefully  invoke appreciation and inspiration from nature in the audience. 

Bibliography  

Jobson, Christopher. 2014. "Artist Hubert Duorat Collaborates with Caddisfly Larvae as  They Build Aquatic Cocoons from Gold and Pearls." Colossal. July 25, 2014.  https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/07/hubert-duprat-caddisflies/.