IMAGO

Imago – (lac. image) In biology, the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis is also called the imaginal stage. It follows the final ecdysis of the immature instars – moulting. The imago is the only stage during which the insect is sexually mature.

For more informations, please check: Project Gutenberg’s The Life-Story of Insects. – Geo. H. Carpenter, Cambridge University Press 1913.

The project Imago is an investigation on the differences between the biological and technical understanding of a cycle – from its repetitions, intervals, timbres to its common and uncommon spheres. It is based on observation and field recordings of Cicada Orni collected in the Area of Athens (G).

Cicada Orni is a large-bodied insect common in southern and central Europe, in the Near East and in North Africa. It is one of around 3000 species of the family Cicadidae, that is mostly known for their intensive sounding. The speed and rhythm of a call are unique for each of discovered species. In some cases, it is the only characteristic that distinguishes two species from each other. Only mature, male insects – imago stage – produce sounding. To intensify an effect, male cicadas stay mostly in groups while singing in order to intensify the effect for female insects. But a single singing insect is difficult to locate and therefore is seldom heard.

The sound installation consists of recorded songs of two single insects. It is integrated with an audio timeline where the length of one song, as well as each minute, is announced with a synthetic sound. Songs of cicadas are spread into 4 – channels to recreate the insects’ choir temporarily. The spot projection of an exoskeleton – remains of male cicada after its transformation into the imago state – can be observed in space from a wider perspective or with metal screens as a magnified picture.

set:
2021 – Museum Ulm & nextmuseum.io – as a part of Kunstreichgewächse group exhibition curated by Stefanie Dathe
2019 – Syntopia Festival for Electronic Art; Athens
2018 – klingt gut! Symposium on Sound HAW Hamburg

photo:
Miłosz Szczęsny