When I tell people what I study, I am usually quickly interrupted with the question “How on earth do neuroscience and art overlap?” Depending on my interlocutor, I don’t always know what to answer. This here is exactly what I wish I could show them. These following images were made with a piece of dead butterfly wing. I remember the way my mom rolled her eyes when I asked her to rummage through her purse so I could use her tampon box as a dead butterfly container. She wasn’t too happy about it. I can’t wait to show these to her now.
The most interesting part of my session with Donna was noticing how incredibly structural the wings were. They are extremely delicate, to the point where they dissolve between your fingers, but due to their incredible architecture they are able to be used as a reliable, energetic and strong mode of transportation. I found the symmetry and intricacy of the wings absolutely fascinating. At the bottom I attached a picture of the MuCEM (Musee des Civilisations), whose architecture gets pretty close to the microscopic detail of the butterfly wing .