Gross Tools (Meet My Heat Stencils)
A single worthless insect, one of billions. Can you relate?
Meet my friends: a dragonfly, cicada, and a butterfly.
Gross perhaps. But not to me. To me they are partners in an odd infestation. You see, their bodies are my tools. I use their corpses as heat stencils. Their fragile bodies are moistened with alcohol and then burned into the pores of thermal paper leaving an x-ray impressions of their inner framework. The ribs of their bodies are surprisingly strong, able to endure this exercise hundreds of times, allowing me to assemble a collection of graffiti kits.
I carry these “x-rays” in my pocket as I explore the urban landscape. I am picky when selecting my targets. The surface needed to be worthy of receiving the echo of these special insects.
If I find a suitable resting place I perform a ritual:
Remove the adhesive backing.
Carefully position the insect.
Press firmly against the flat surface.
Snap a photo.
Then I walk away, never to see it again.
The mantra sustaining my infestation project is this:
Beauty hides in plain sight, just waiting to be infested by your imagination.
A single worthless insect, one of billions. And yet its body echoes through time and space, digitized and digested by algorithms, swiped by countless fingers scrolling through prisms of smudged glass. An odd infestation indeed. It’s almost as if their short life meant something. Oh to be so lucky.
And now perhaps you understand why I call this dragonfly, cicada, and butterfly my friends. If you aren’t careful you might relate to their fate more than you care to admit. They’ve had quite a life.
Stay creative.
Your friend,
Ade
P.S. My infestation graffiti kits are still available on Etsy where you can buy my insect stickers. And if you aren’t following @ade3 on Instagram, that’s the best way to see new photos/videos of my unorthodox art projects.
