Scott Bain isn't too happy how the rest of humanity is treating our insect friends, and he's conveyed this frustration with Micromachina, a series of miniatures depicting preserved beetles as clockwork automatons.
Here's Bain's description of his biomechanical miniatures:
MICROMACHINA examines what makes the insect world tick, and considers our attempts to control nature and the consequences. Humanity's blatant disregard for nature, where profit comes before life, will ultimately be our undoing. Pesticides, herbicides, genetic modification and massive urban expansion push the fine balance of life toward disaster. There has to be a point, when mother nature will say ‘too far', and rid the earth of its biggest pest... us.
Once the stuff of science fiction, today flying and crawling insects are used by the military, fitted with audio and video devices. This exhibition experiments using real taxidermy beetles as mechanised shells, to show how we mistreat our fellow inhabitants, forcing them to do our will.
"Human Infestation, 2011
beetle, plastic figures, found objects, 15cm x 12.5cm"
"Eradication, 2011,
beetle, cockroach, plastic figures, found objects, cat whisker, 15cm x 12.5cm"
"Pre-Emptive Swarm, 2011,
beetle, plastic figures, found objects, 15cm x 12.5cm"
"Genetic Modification, 2011,
beetle, plastic figures, found objects, 15cm x 12.5cm"
"Migration, 2011,
beetle, plastic figures, found objects, 15cm x 12.5cm"
Top image: "Urban Camouflage, 2011,
beetle, plastic figures, found objects, 15cm x 12.5cm"
You can see more of the Micromachina at his website.
[Spotted on John Coutlhart]