Butterflies raise alarm!
Butterflies are a wonder of nature. They seem fragile, yet the strongest of them—the Monarch, Danaus plexippus—can fly as far as 4,000 km from Canada to Mexico to survive the winter. But what are these beautiful insects definitely not resistant to? Butterflies, both diurnal and nocturnal, are the first to react to any human actions that disrupt the natural balance of their environment. So, if something starts to go wrong with butterflies, it should be a strong signal for us humans: STOP!
The unusual exhibition “Butterflies raise alarm,” which we organized together with the Community Support Center in Warsaw’s Żoliborz district, as part of the international “Butterfly Glade” program, attracted guests sensitive to the beauty of nature to the Scientific Reading Room “Pod Sowami” („Under the Owls”).
The butterfly was discovered in the Peruvian part of the Andes during a scientific expedition that included Professor Tomasz Pyrcz from Jagiellonian University.
The butterfly’s color is not accidental, as the king valued royal garments in black…
The exhibition begins with watercolors by Ewa Kotus, faithfully capturing the beauty of the butterflies of Peru — the country with the largest number of butterflies in the world, located in the most biodiverse part of the globe. These artworks lead to the next stage of the exhibition — abstract, extraordinary butterflies that captivate and deeply move the viewer. Created by members of Group B from the Community Support Center, these works were designed to encourage the viewer to reflect on the interaction between humans and nature. This section of the exhibition is further strengthened by information about the consequences of human activity, which are strongly disturbing:
The lungs of our planet are forests, and even the Amazon rainforest is under threat!
More than 2 billion people worldwide already lack access to clean drinking water!
Global warming is progressing! Is it impossible to stop the big meltdown?
Why do we produce so much rubbish? After all, you can already see it from space!
Mr. Tomasz’s butterfly strongly leads us into the second part of the exhibition.
Can we believe that the whole world will be reborn? This is how the third part of the exhibition, prepared by Group A from the Community Support Center, begins, featuring beautiful caterpillars of butterflies from various parts of the world and the world-famous butterflies.
The presentation concludes with our peacock butterfly, created by Ms. Marta Motyl – Nymphalis io – which everyone knows and has the chance to admire, as it is our beloved Polish butterfly.
“Nature is smart, let’s not disturb!” The exhibition closes with the famous artist Jacek Podlasiński presenting a sculpture of an owl preparing to take flight. This beautiful owl sculpture has served for thirteen years as the prestigious award statuette, as noted by Alexander V. Kammel – the president of the International Tourfilm Academy – who signs it with the words: “Jacek Podlasiński sculpture of this beautiful owl preparing for flight is the statuette of the International Tourfilm Academy, which we proudly present to filmmakers whose films are valuable to science.”
Someone might say: this exhibition is local because it’s in the Scientific Reading Room in Żoliborz, Warsaw. But let me quote the words of Ms. Małgorzata Bortko – the director of the Community Support Center, who decided on this exhibition: “If we’re going to do something, let’s really do something good for these BUTTERFLIES, for Mother Nature… Let’s touch hearts, captivate the viewer, and inspire reflection… And then let’s plant beautiful butterfly-friendly buddleia flowers in the Żoliborz district. Perhaps we can inspire actions from various communities.”
We would like to thank the Reading Room “Pod Sowami” – Mrs. Director Małgorzata Kocot, Mrs Manager Monika Rejtner and all the staff – for their assistance in organizing the exhibition and preparing the poster.
We also thank Olczak and Son Confectionery for the delicious cake featuring the image of the butterfly Catasticta copernicus, which was a wonderful treat for guests during the opening.
Text: Ewa Kotus
Translation: Wojciech Jaworek
Mecenas of exhibition: Małgorzata Bortko
Exhibition Project: Ewa Kotus
Exhibition Design: Aleksandra Kotus
Artistic and technical cooperation: Wojciech Jaworek, Dariusz Krzykalski, Marta Motyl, Kalina Włodarczyk
Design of the poster: Rafał Łojewski
Photos: Igor Barkowski, Aleksandra Kotus, Kalina Włodarczyk