Creep: Insects and Entomology for Artists
Gatineau Hills, July 2016
Deadline to apply - March 17, 2016

Biolophilia is the urge to affiliate with other living forces. The term literally means the love of life or living systems. 

Biophilia is a residency for Canadian and international artists interested in ecology, nature and life sciences to study, research and experience themes of interacting with the living natural world. This specialized Biophilia program will focus on insects over a week in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada in July of 2016. The residency will facilitate daily excursions into natural habitats for collection of materials, exploration of and production within a wide range of Canadian wildlife habitats and curated collections. Daily expeditions into forests, wildlife sanctuaries, farms and research labs will be enriched by biologists, naturalists and experts.

Ayatana residencies focus on experience and research by visual and conceptual artists. Writers, poets, musicians and dancers are invited to apply. This residency will host only five or six selected international artists. Preference will be given, but is absolutely not limited to those working with performance, intervention, site specific installation, interactive or nomadic work, new media, interdisciplinary research and collaboration.  This action packed research residency leaves little time free for making art, so brainstorming developing ideas out loud and collecting material is encouraged at all times.

All participants will be invited to contribute to the residency catalogue. We hope the experience will facilitate connections between participants and lead to international shows. Although Ayatana residents are not expected to produce work during the program, collaboration with each other and the non-artist community of biophiles is encouraged, especially at the conceptualization stage.  

We are looking for adventurous artists interested in experimentation who have a willingness to participate in spontaneous sharing of early-stage ideas and work in a small group. The workshops will support the experimentation of new artistic projects in a friendly and analytical context.

At least half of all Biophilia field trips are spent outdoors and some involve gentle hiking.

Artist talk: Residents are invited to give a private artist talk to share your work with the group.

Moths:
We will set up a moth lure to observe the local moths with artist Jim des Rivieres who will give a workshop on high resolution scanning of insects.

Butterflies:
Jayne Yak will show us her lab and equipment at Ottawa University where she studies audible caterpillar communication.

The Ayatana Moth and Butterfly Observatory houses a small collection of live native an exotic moths and butterflies each year. If you would like to work with a specific species it may be possible for Ayatana to import them so they are available to you during your residency.

Invasive species:
A guided hike through the Gatineau Forest with an expert on emerald ash borers.

Pinning, preservation and illustration:
Visit to the Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, one of the best collections of its kind in the world, with approximately 16 million specimens.

Fireflies:
We will hike out to catch fireflies with a local entomologist who will describe the 8 local species and their distinct flash patterns.

Ants:
Workshop on casting ant hills in metal.

Dragonflies:
A guided hike through Petri island with expert entomologist to learn about the many local dragonflies and damselflies.

Bees:
A visit to a local honey farm to look at the hives and to learn about colony collapse and urban bee keeping.

Taxidermy:
A visit to the National Museum of Natures bug room, where the collection's bones are cleaned by flesh eating beetles.

Arachnids:
Learn to color, collect and preserve spider webs in an orb harvesting workshop.

Location:
Residents will be picked up in Ottawa, Canada and driven to the Ayatana Residency House, near the small town of Chelsea, Quebec. This culturally vibrant town, surrounded by mountains and nestled between Gatineau Provincial Park and the Gatineau River, is home to many scientists and artists.

Cost 
$1000 USD
Residency places are limited to 6 artists. Official invites will be given to accepted applicants to help in the procuration of grants and funding.

What is included:
A comfortable bed in the Ayatana residency house.
All activities.
Transportation to all activities.
Workshops by members of local community.
Indoor and outdoor work spaces.
Facilitators / production assistants.
Participation in residency catalogue and the Research Artists' Book Project.
Possibility of an international group exhibition.
Supplies, equipment and technical gear.
Most meals will be provided, cooked by our resident chef.
*Residents will be responsible for paying for their own meals from restaurants, which will happen 2 or 3 times during the week

Only applications that follow these guidelines will be considered.

Disclaimer: Those who do not like the outdoors or to talk about art, need not apply.

Friend us on face book for future calls for applications and posts about other art/science opportunities

For more images of past Biophilia adventures see our face book albums

Sept 2015, Chelsea, Quebec

July 2015, Wolfville, Nova Scotia

May 2015, Chelsea, Quebec

Sept 2014 Wakefield, Quebec

Aug 2014 Wolfville, Nova Scotia

July 2014 Wolfville, Nova Scotia

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Residents examine moths in the field with entomological photographer Jim des Rivières

Winnipeg Artist Michelle Wilson photographs tent caterpillars under the microscope in the field

Dr. Jayne Yak Shows us the fridge in the lab where she studies caterpillar communication

Australian artist Rahni Allan making a stop motion video of Bees at a Cossman and Whiden honey hive

Long exposure of local fireflies

Alberta artist Julya Hajnoczky leads biophilia residents in emergency surgery on a Morpho butterfly

Spider web harvested by artist Alexis Williams