Press release: Friday, June 20th, 2008
Giant butterflies land at ZSL London Zoo
Flutter in to view this unique photo exhibition of large
butterflies
A revolutionary photography technique capturing the intricate
details of butterflies down to the finest scale launches
as an exhibition at ZSL London Zoo on Monday for National
Insect Week.
This is the first ever exhibition of these giant butterfly
prints – revealing microscopic details of these captivating
insects to the smallest scale and clearing showing anatomical
features like their cells, hair and scales.
The exhibit’s brainchild, Rakha Singh, will showcase
10 of his stunning photographs for the first time which
each measure 4ft x 4ft and feature tropical butterflies
from around the world.
This innovative technique involves photographing butterflies
up to 50 times in tiny sections and ‘stitching’
together the images, creating a huge file that can be printed
as a large, ultra high resolution image with incredible
detail. The images are printed on compressed PVC to create
a unique painting like effect.
Photographer Rakha Singh said: “For the first time
people can see these intriguing insects on a large scale,
which I thought was particularly important in generating
awareness of butterflies and their survival. I wanted to
demonstrate, through art, the amazing colours and patterns
of these beautiful insects.”
ZSL London Zoo Head Keeper of BUGS, Dave Clarke, said:
“We are excited to showcase these unique prints which
show the exquisite detail of some of the world’s most
magnificent butterflies.
“We’d love everyone to come along and celebrate
National Insect Week here at ZSL London Zoo, with the opportunity
to experience fun, close-up encounters with our insects,
as well as admiring the beautiful free-flying butterflies
as they flutter around the butterfly house.”
Enter the world of entomology at ZSL London Zoo and share
in the splendour of around 250 beautiful butterflies, more
than 50 species of insects and enjoy the educational and
fun activities taking place during National Insect Week.
The butterfly photography exhibition at ZSL London Zoo
is the first public viewing of these amazing prints and
is part of Rakha Singh’s ongoing project to eventually
photograph and produce large scale prints of the entire
UK butterfly species, some of which are extinct. The next
part of Rakha’s project is to create a book of images
3ft x 2ft of ladybirds, beetles and other insects from around
the world. |