Mariposa Machismo

Mariposa Machismo is a project involving the butterfly phenomena that occurred in South Texas in the summer and fall of 2006 and is still ongoing to a lesser extent. A multitude of brown snout-nosed butterflies was generated by the unusual climate circumstances of extreme drought followed by torrential rains. Global warming was most likely a contributing factor. Curiously, 95% of them were male. The wall installation documents this unusual phenomena while examining the historical and current social implications of male butterfly bonding. Butterflies have also typically been associated with the ideals of femininity in the West. The butterflies are rendered on digitally cut MDF board, that has been rubbed with copper powder, and silkscreened using sand for a textural effect.