287 Flies makes use of a collection of insects found over a yearlong period.  Each fly was photographed, printed at various sizes 1 ½ – 3” (circular prints) and face mounted to plexi. A selection of the most interesting flies was culled from the collection and is presented as a typology. When printed larger and presented in a grid format each fly becomes a distinct individual, personalities are formed and what was once tiny and insignificant becomes bold and slightly imposing.

The 287 Flies, each in its own Petri dish like casing are placed randomly throughout a room. They watch over the space and the larger typology and work as a reminder that we and our ideas are temporary.  In the short time a female fly lives it is capable of producing 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 eggs, (quintillion) an incomprehensible number, as hard to make concrete as the notion of eternity.  Long after an idea has been expressed, has had its moment and becomes part of the past flies will still be producing their progeny at this mind-bending rate.  These insects work like the skull at the Monk’s bedside-a reminder that we too will pass and become obsolete.  Yet given this irrefutable knowledge we persist. There is nothing more important than what we are and yet there is nothing more inconsequential.

Circular images 1 ½ to 3” inkjet prints face mounted to plexi
Single images 9×9” inkjet prints
2005-2007