perspectives (sight), 24,5x40cm, watercolour, 2025

perspectives (firebugs), 10,5×14,8cm, linoprint and monotype, 2024

This project combines artistic practice with scientific knowledge to create visual representations that support and extend biological understanding. Through this project I aim to visually explore the idea of understanding and embodying another’s point of view. It consists one series of five watercolors, a second series of several linocuts and an installation with smell. They are all created in 2024 and 2025.

The creative process began with research into how insects like firebugs perceive their environment. Unlike humans, firebugs rely primarily on a highly developed sense of smell for communication. Their vision plays a lesser role, as they cannot see orange and red hues, instead they see a spectrum dominated by blue and green. Their vision is also relatively blurry, focusing more on detecting movement than on recognising stationary objects. In addition, their compound eyes, placed at the sides of their head allow them to see at a wider angle. Furthermore, firebugs use their piercing-sucking mouthparts and taste receptors to identify suitable food sources. Their sensory hairs on the legs and antennae detect touch, pressure and vibrations, helping them navigate their surroundings and interact with others. Being ectothermic, they rely on temperature and humidity detection to regulate their activity and adapt to environmental changes. Using these insights, the artworks are an attempt to represent the world from a firebug‘s perspective.

Watercolours
The five watercolours (2025, 22x42cm large) are based on a self-made video, filmed from a low angle, close to the ground, to approximate an insect‘s point of view. At home, I selected screenshots from the footage and adjusted the colours to reflect how fire bugs perceive their surroundings. I then translated these images into watercolour, choosing the medium for its ability to convey softness and blur, reflecting the firebug‘s limited visual clarity. The compositions also reflect the wide field of vision characteristic of their compound eyes.

Prints
The linocut series consists of both multi-layered stencil prints and monotypes (10,5x15cm large). In the monotypes, an image is drawn on a surface and transferred to another plate, creating a single print. For the linocuts, multiple forms are carved-out and layered in successive printing processes. Some works combine both techniques.