The Moon and the Moon Moth

There are many superstitions with regard to the moon. In some cultures the powerful force of the moon was seen as a female symbol and also linked to the unconscious and the feminine psyche. The sacredness of the moon has been connected with the basic cyclic rhythms of life. The changing phases of the moon were linked to the death and rebirth seen in crops and the seasons and also to the female monthly cycle that controls human fertility. The moon calendar is still very important (especially in Japan) and many festivals exist around the lunar phases.

It is thought that moths use the position of the moon in orientation by maintaining a specific angle with its direction to help them to fly in a straight line because the moon is at such a great distance away. It is possible that the reason why moths are attracted to light is that they mistake the light for the moon! 

Light pollution in the form of artificial night-time illumination creates a ‘sky glow’ typical of our towns and cities this could prevent moths from flying and going about their nocturnal activities such as finding a mate and feeding.  The female moth does not fly until she has mated. 

My first visit to Kodaiji was at night and artificial lighting was used to illuminate the temple gardens. I would like to use this illumination and place a ‘female moon moth’ trapped in a glass jar and fixed to the blank white wall within the beam of the spot light. It will be significant to use a white light as this is thought to be attractive to moths. The Moon moth will signify the suspension of cycles of death and rebirth linked to the changing phases of the moon.  In Kodaiji during the exhibition the full moon falls on the 13 November/12 December and the new moon falls on the 27 November/27 December 2008.  

Kodai-ji

Silence is an important aspect of my artwork and so when I recently visited Japan for the first time, I was curious to know whether I would be able to find a Japanese silence and whether it would be different from an English silence? I began to search for silent places in the temples in Kyoto. 

In the smaller, quieter, intimate garden of Kodai-ji there is a balance of silence, religion and nature.  At night, artificial lighting is used to illuminate the garden not as a spectacle but as a place of reverie and quiet contemplation. In this sacred place I have suspended a female japanese moon moth (Actias Artemis Bremer) trapped inside a glass jar illuminated by the beam of a white spotlight. White light is thought to be more attractive to moths. When moths mistake an artificial light for the moon, they try to fly in a straight line, but the light source keeps changing orientation in their field of view, so they try to adjust by turning to the right or to the left. As a result, they end up flying in a complete circle around the light, or worse, spiralling into it. My moth is safe, silent and permanently captured by her artificial moonlight.