Canadian photographer Jim des Riviéres has produced a collection of large-format prints displaying “the arresting beauty and surprising diversity of moths from the Ottawa region.” Having catalogued nearly 300 different species from the 2,000 specimens he's caught, des Riviéres has grown to not only appreciate the beauty of these winged creature through his art practice, but also learned more about them.
The photographer's fascination with moths was first discovered while he was two years into his photographic obsession with butterflies. Upon discovering moths as an equally beautiful species with a much larger population (about 10 times that of butterflies in the Ottawa area), he switched his focus. He even says, “[M]any of our moths are bigger and more colorful than our butterflies.”
Traveling up to 50 miles out of urban Ottawa, equipped with only a few supplies including a black fluorescent light to attract the moths, des Riviéres would play the waiting game to catch his fuzzy little multi-patterned subjects. Having relocated to a small cottage deep in the forest, he now sets up a trap for moths just outside his residence, which he can check up on throughout the day. You can read much more about his process over on Co.Design.
A selection of images from the photographer's collection is currently on display in an exhibit titled Winged Tapastries: Moths at Large at The American Museum of Natural History in New York through September 29, 2013.
