Equinox
Photographs Dany Eid
Equinox
2021
Acrylic, Electrical Circuitry, Hydraulics, Lacquer, Motor, Paint, recycled resin, Steel
3225 X 3225 X 5362mm
Equinox is a three dimensional zoetrope, an optical illusion, that considers the delicate calibration of the earth’s ecosystems. Spinning on an axis, a giant lotus flower hosts an orbit of insects. As the flower rotates, its petals act as ‘shutters’, animating the arthropods within. The bugs appear to dance in harmony as they clamber, flutter, eat and pollinate. The flower opens at dusk and closes at dawn. The Artworks title derives from the perfect balance of day at night evident at equinox. The Lotus Lily functions as a precious vessel conserving insect ecology, their enhanced scale underscoring the cataclysm that would follow their decline. Collishaw has selected quotations from HH Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and William Blake, passages which praise the complex beauty of nature, to accompany the work.