Craft a curious beetle

From bees to bugs...

If you’ve read our latest StyleCurious post on Anna Collette Hunt’s curious infestation, you may have been wondering about the app we mentioned. We’re pleased to inform you that the Stirring the Swarm iPhone or iPad app is now available to download free here:

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/stirring-the-swarm/id499841767?ls=1&mt=8

The app was developed with funding Anna received from Made in the Middle. It features her original story alongside images of the first installation. There’s also a tour schedule, providing information on where you can see the Swarm exhibition. And the app also has a secret section, which can only be unlocked at the shows, to trigger interactive activity.


My favourite feature is the app’s “beetle builder activity, where users can create their own magical hybrid insects from mixing and matching ceramic body parts, combined with hand drawn elements which were part of the research for the project.” It’s great fun designing and naming your own insect, and uploading it to the online Facebook gallery. Anna hopes to use these insects to create a viral swarm - an online infestation to mirror the physical body of work.

Both the Stirring the Swarm ceramic installation and the new app will appear in an upcoming experimental exhibition at the National Craft and Design Centre, called Concrete Canvas, which is inspired by the online phenomenon of geocaching.





Meantime, an exclusive selection of Anna’s work is available at ShopCurious, including beetle brooches, insect trophies and boxed sets of ceramic curiosities. Each piece is a totally unique, handcrafted work of art – and also collectable as a memento of Anna’s award winning installation. Of course, you can always create your own souvenir (or even your own swarm) using the curiously cool beetle building app…

Will you?

Nature's rare accessories

The tree of knowledge, eh? At Chelsea Flower Show a wicker sculpture (the sort of thing you might see festooned with tempting floral treats in a department store), formed the centerpiece of a ‘biodiversity display’. The aim: to seduce the public into doing anything and everything to encourage insects and birds to visit their gardens. However, only certain plants and flowers appeal to butterflies and bees... and possibly not the likes of this strangely inventive creation.

These days, all ‘great ideas’ seem to require celebrity endorsement. The tree of knowledge was no exception, with luvvies like Jeremy Irons and Greg Wise offering their penny’s worth. Mr Wise even penned a rather luvverly poem, imploring us to ‘be less tidy’, ‘let things rot’ and ‘embrace decay’. Cheers, Greg!





My favourite gardens are invariably where the wild things are. A stunning entry at the show was L’Occitane's Provencal garden with its luxurious lavender beds – great for bees… plus wonderfully gnarled olive trees and ruggedly unadulterated rocky terraces. M&G's traditional English garden was nice, and, I suppose, guaranteed to be a winner – being the show's official sponsor and all of that.





And Leeds City Council's garden, sponsored by Hesco Bastion, was awesomely overgrown, with the rather contrived addition of a model canal lock (I can’t imagine that was entirely cast from eco-friendly materials?)

Anyway, seeing these delightfully unkempt plots reminded me that the winged insect I haven’t seen much of in recent years (despite living by the river) is the dragonfly. Dragonflies apparently gobble up all manner of curious bugs, okay they eat some butterflies and bees too - but also mosquitoes, which could come in handy with global warming. They’re curiously colourful as well, and imbued with symbolism and cultural significance in many parts of the world.





At ShopCurious, we’ve been promoting the benefits of naturally beautiful things for ages, which is why we’ve got plenty of nature inspired jewellery and accessories on offer - this unique Art Nouveau style dragonfly brooch being the perfect example.

Knowledge may be a dangerous thing, but birds and bees are a safe bet any day. I reckon seeing a few more dragonflies might be good news for biodiversity too.

Do you?