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© 2020 by Heinz Hermann Maria Hoppe.
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Author: Heinz Hermann Maria Hoppe
Probably extraterrestrial meteorites extinguished the largest living beings of earth history. 66 million years later, the indigenous human race destroys the very little ones. The geochronological epoch named after him, the ‘Anthropocene’, is also the era of insect extinction – in addition to other self-inflicted environmental destruction.
More than 60 percent of all species are insects, artworks of nature. Many of them have not yet been researched and are already extinguished or will be eliminated in the near future. In addition to the loss of known species, we will no longer be aware of the consequences of the irretrievably destroyed biodiversity. We will only have a vague idea of the irretrievably lost diversity of life, form and function.
The decline of insects also endangers other species in their populations: amphibians and birds are starving. Insects clean up, support decay processes and thus help to prevent epidemics. But insects also count economically. In other words: insects are system relevant for the nutrition of mankind! For pollinating the crops they cannot be replaced. The economic effects of reduced harvests are threatening the very existence of the crop and have been estimated in terms of ‘total economic value’ and ‘values per se’ in the billions.
Homo sapiens (Latin for ‘understanding’ or ‘wise, clever, reasonable man’) has, self-appointed, raised himself to the measure of animate and inanimate nature. After that we have planned, rebuilt, regulated and plundered the soil, the waters and the airspace. The original natural spaces are left as ridiculous areas in the ‘civilized world’. Our acting is perverted and also directed against ourselves: We spray poisons on the fields against ‘pests’ and destroy the animals we need to pollinate the plants we cultivate.
The consequences of the destruction of biodiversity are unpredictable for us, because the complex symbioses have grown together over millions of years through trial and error. The COVID-19-pandemic demonstrates the power with which even the tiniest creatures can threaten human societies worldwide.
So now the time has also come when the small, resistant insects will die. We were and we are forewarned, but we still just keep on going, only looking one small step forward, instead of keeping the big picture in mind. Even though every child knows that you can’t eat money.
The ‘Insects’ from the picture series ‘Insects leave now’ present an artistic vision of fantastic creations. Abstract creations of microscopic ‘living creatures’ are symbolically meant to represent the many unknown and unexplored insect species. The fascination for the microcosm and the immersion into the unimpressive dimensions of insects led to overdrawn, transparent forms. The constructive impression characterizes the biological origin of the artist from the biological order of primates. Calligraphic, English names in the background indicate already extinct insect species.
Inspired by the richness of detail of these small creatures, eight virtual ‘Insects’ were created: ‘SHAM’, ‘TARF’, ‘OKAB’, ‘SADR’, ‘FULU’, ‘CAPH’ and ‘NAOS’. ‘VEGA’, the queen, is composed of the bodies of the seven ‘insects’. The names of the artificial creatures are derived from astronomical names for stars. Just like the stars in the vast expanses of space, the insects at our feet are in large parts ‘terra incognita’.
