Mimic

Mimic

by Mel Watkin

Location: Terminal 1, Near Gate C9

This piece consists of three near exact copies of an Italian Cyprus tree, each surrounded by a halo of Luna moths. Each tree is free standing on a clear sheet of glass—as if they had grown out of the floor. Watkin’s hope is the piece will feel like a hedge to those sitting or standing nearby.

The scale of this work mimics the scale of the Italian Cyprus tree, which only grows 6-8 feet in height. While they do not glow, Luna moths are an almost fluorescent green and are often as large as the palm of your hand. She gave them the attributes of insects that mimic the shape and color of the flora around them to elude predators. In this work the Luna moths are trying to hide by mimicking the shape of the Cyprus trees. In turn the berries on the Cyprus trees mimic the wing markings of the Luna moths, which look like eyes.