Getting to Know...

...Regina Silveira! Continuing my interview series, I was lucky enough to set down with Mundus Admirabilis creator Regina Silveira. She was very generous to speak with me, despite having work of her own to do.
She revealed to me that the bugs depicted in Mundus Admirabilis were evil bugs. She had gotten the pictures mostly from 18th century natural history books. These are depictions of the bugs as they were first observed, and a few are even made up because " observation is different from mechanical instrumentation." The images were composed as a group to symbolize the idea of an invasion as the insects are more menacing together. They are created as modern day metaphors for ancient plagues such as deterioration, violence, and corruption, all of which we suffer from now.
The piece is made up of both prey and predator alike, but each one is also out of proportion. While an insect like the flea may be the smallest in real life, it's proportions are the largest in Mundus Admirabilis. The installation has such an all encompassing feel to it because of the way almost every surface in the room is covered with insect life. These creepy crawlies were made to wrap around the architecture in a way that they not only become the wallpaper, but part of the building as well. The insects completely encompass and adapt to their environment.
When this was shown in Brazil, Silveira used the bugs to represent local corruption in politics. She covered the inside of a large glass box-shaped building to represent the beautiful cage that politicians had themselves in. Here, in the Goldie Paley Gallery at Moore, the insects are more of a back drop for the central piece of the installation; a table and porcelain set of dishes covered with the same buggy motif. The pure (innocent?) white porcelain is covered with the same bugs that adorn the walls, only on a more realistic scale. The large handmade tablecloth that the porcelain dishes sit upon is also covered with the same motif. It is meticulously made with cross stitch embroidery by a woman in Brazil; a process that took roughly two years. Sadly enough, these gorgeous objects aren't actually for use, and have all been glued together.