McColl Center for Art + Innovation invites the public to Eco-Palooza on Saturday, May 9th, 2015, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Woodward Avenue medians at Brightwalk, 1231 Woodward Avenue. The event will feature the art of Brandon Ballengee. Read more about his “Love Motels” projects:
Love Motel for Insects is an ongoing series of outdoor installations intended to construct situations between humans and arthropods. The works use ultra-violet lights on enormous sculpted canvases to attract insects and create an opportunity for public interactions with nocturnal arthropods, which are not often seen. At each location, the Love Motels become the backdrop for community events such as; picnics, biodiversity festivals, graffiti jams, political rallies, scientific investigations, musical events and even insect film screenings.
The Love Motels for Insects sculptures began in 2001 in Central America. At this time the initial structures were made from battery powered black lights and bed-sheets placed in the Costa Rican forest floor. Within hours numerous species of flying moths, beetles, caddisflies, ants, lacewings and other arthropods descended on the installation. Female moths released chemical pheromones to attract mates and consequently “painted” the impromptu piece. Fascinated and inspired by this initial experience, further Love Motels for Insects have been fabricated along with public nocturnal field trips around the world. To date versions of the project have debuted on boats in Venice (Italy), peat bogs in Lough Boora (Ireland), isolated moors overlooking Loch Ness (Scotland), bustling shopping malls in Delhi (India), outside Aztec ruins (Mexico), New Haven (USA) inner-city bus stops, roof tops in London (England), temperate forest mountain-sides (South Korea), Louisiana Bayous (USA) and others.
And read more about the event:
Join us for a big bug block party in the medians of Brightwalk to celebrate the lighting of Love Motels for Insects, an innovative environmental sculpture from McColl Center for Art + Innovation Environmental Artist-in-Residence Brandon Ballengee.
This free family friendly block party is a great way to get to know your neighbors, learn about bugs and art, get more info about Rachael’s Gift and Austin Canvas and Awning’s ongoing support for medical research and education of mitochondrial disease.
Partners include Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, Austin Canvas and Awning, United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, and McColl Center for Art + Innovation.
Charlotte on the Cheap is a member of 
