"You will never look at a beetle or a moth the same way again."
--WIRED
"Art meets science to dazzling effect." --Guardian
"You have never seen insects in such astounding detail before." --New
Scientist
Microsculpture is a unique photographic study of insects in
mind-blowing magnification that celebrates the wonders of nature and
science.
Levon Biss's photographs capture in breathtaking detail the beauty of
the insect world and are printed in large-scale format to provide an
unforgettable viewing experience. Each image in Microsculpture is
created from approximately 8,000 individual photographs. Segments of the
specimen are lit and photographed separately using microscope lenses,
then "stacked" to maintain sharp focus throughout. These images are then
combined to create a single high-resolution file. From start to finish,
each portrait takes approximately four weeks to create.
Microsculpture has been exhibited at the Oxford University Museum of
Natural History and the Xposure 2016 International Photography Festival
in Sharjah, UAE. It has been viewed by over half a million people so far
and has been touring museums around the world since 2017.
The entomology collection has significant cultural and historical value,
containing the world's oldest pinned insect specimen and many thousands
of insects collected by pioneering Victorian explorers and biologists
such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace.
Dr. James Hogan, entomology department curator of the Oxford University
Museum of Natural History, writes in his foreword, "This collection of
photographs is a celebration of nature and photographic art, but it also
shows how science and art can be effectively combined to produce
something new and exciting."
The vivid colors, unusual features, and never-before-seen details of the
insects in this unique oversized coffee table book capture the true
wonders of nature and science.
