Vlag / Flag #2: Semaphore (The Caterpillar) - Chantal van Rijt
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NL
Vlag #2: Semaphore (The Caterpillar):
Rupsen zijn kwetsbare insecten die verschillende verdedigingsmechanismen beheersen om roofdieren en vijanden af te schrikken. Ze verspreiden afstotende geuren, produceren trilsignalen en piepgeluiden of zijn gehuld in excentrieke camouflageprints. Deze laatste grafische en kleurrijke patronen zijn vormen van apotropaïsche communicatie en brengen boodschappen over aan de rivaal, vergelijkbaar met de historische functie van vlaggen om territoria af te bakenen. Chantal van Rijt maakte een macrofoto van een geconserveerde rups, een exemplaar van de soort ‘Automeris Naranja’ uit het Natuurhistorisch Museum in Brussel, aangetrokken door het motief van de valse ogen die de huid van het insect sieren. Ogen zijn vaak symbolen van bescherming, terwijl deze blik bedoeld is om roofvogels weg te staren. De kleur van de rups is door de taxidermische behandelingen veranderd van gifgroen in okergeel. Het oorspronkelijke beeld, dat nog geen centimeter meet, is nu uitvergroot tot reusachtige ogen die uitkijken over de rivier, de school en de stad.
Over Chantal van Rijt:
De praktijk van Chantal van Rijt wordt gedreven door het experiment. Als een hedendaagse alchemist duikt zij in de materiële verhalen van planten, dieren en andere natuurlijke substanties. Geïnspireerd door het onderzoeken van geschiedenissen en mogelijke toekomsten, neemt zij vaak één enkel punt en laat dat ontrafelen tot een uitgebreid landschap. Haar onderwerpen bevinden zich zowel in het organische domein als in de klinische omgeving van een laboratorium. Protagonisten die in het werk opduiken zijn houtwormen, de zon, de dodelijke taxus baccata en de oorsteen van een vis.
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ENG
Flag #2: Semaphore (The Caterpillar):
Caterpillars are vulnerable insects that master various defence mechanisms to scare off predators and enemies. They disperse repulsive scents, produce vibrating signals and squeaky sounds or they are shrouded in eccentric camouflage prints. The latter graphical and colourful patterns are forms of apotropaic communication and convey messages to the rival, similar to the historical function of flags to delineate territories. Chantal van Rijt macro-photographed a preserved caterpillar, sample of the ‘Automeris Naranja’ species from the Museum of Natural History in Brussels, drawn by the motif of false eyes that adorn the insect’s skin. Eyes are often symbols of protection, whereas this gaze is meant to stare birds of prey away. The caterpillar’s colour has transformed from toxic green to ochre yellow as a result of the taxidermy treatments. The original image, that measures less than a centimetre, is now enlarged to giant eyes that overlook the river, the school and the city.
About Chantal van Rijt:
The practice of Chantal van Rijt is driven by experimentation. Like a contemporary alchemist, she dives into the material stories of plants, animals and other natural substances. Inspired by researching histories and possible futures, she often takes a single point and lets it unravel into an extended landscape. Her subjects are found in the organic realm as well as in the clinical cradle of a laboratory. Protagonists that have made an appearance in the work are woodworms, the sun, the deadly taxus baccata and the earstone of a fish.
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