Overwinter, Overland

Created by artists SWSR, Sally and Shawn Raab-Wolchyn, Overwinter, Overland is aseries of paper sculptures varying in size, but loosely referencing the dimensions of the heterogeneous human body. Suspended from the ceiling, each piece is made of handmade cotton paper covered in thousands of handmade paper butterflies. The structures are lit from within by amber LEDs, and illuminated through the heartbeat of the viewer via a medical heart rate monitor.

​This work is inspired by the monarch migration, and the notable resting point on this migration in Mexico. During this massive migration six billion monarch butterflies gather in a small location in Mexico to sleep in festoons for a very brief period of time. This project makes use not only of the incredible forms in nature on a formal level, but also the ephemerality invoked by this event, and the metaphor of butterflies at large. The poetics of a multi-generational migration are quite profound - and monarch butterflies play a fascinating role in western myth and folklore, commonly thought of as embodiments of beauty and purity, butterflies have also been characterized as satanic throughout history as a symbol of the sexual and unbound female. Butterflies are creatures of paradox in biology as well; a delicate creature that undergoes a cross-continental migration, a gentle creature that's also poisonous, and neurologically bound to be erratic in flight yet able to navigate vast distances.

Check the program soon and make sure to check out this amazing project!