There might not have been room at the inn in the Christmas story, but there's plenty of room for insects this year at the Insect Hotel created by artist Kate Eggleston-Wirtz as part of her residency for our exhibition Beauty and the Beasts: falling in love with insects. In the exhibition hundreds of insects from our Entomology collection have been brought together alongside the work of scientists and artists to explore our curiosity and care for these extraordinary creatures. The exhibition invites you to encounter the beauty in these beasts. Insects are extraordinary. We need to love them, look after them and look after their habitat for without them we would not exist.

 

We commissioned Kate to create an ‘Insect Hotel’ in response to the exhibition. She began with an old grandfather clock, symbolising time, along with part of a barometer case to represent climate change. The residency took place in the exhibition space, during which time, Kate had meaningful conversation with visitors, finding out what they thought about insects, discussing the important role of insects within our world, and also what things they might include as part of an insect hotel.

 

During lockdown, Kate was able to carry on working on the insect hotel in her studio in Lytham St Annes. She found objects and materials to represent what she had seen and heard, and the ideas that had been shared. Things she incorporated included a pencil to symbolise writing letters to insects, cogs responding to the Cyborg Beetle in the exhibition and humans’ impact on insects, a 5-star penthouse and a mouse manager! She also incorporated some of her own poetry.

 

Themes of care and connection with objects, nature and communities run deep through Kate's multi-disciplinary art practise. Hopefully the ‘Insect Hotel’ will return to the Museum for display, before finding itself in a new home where it can be used as a launch pad for creative work and care for insects. And you can show your own care for nature by writing a love letter to insects, in our digital Beauty and the Beasts exhibition.

​

Be kind to each other, and the insects this Christmas!

 

Anna Bunney

​

​

Title image: The 'Insect Hotel', created by Manchester Museum's artist in residence Kate Eggleston-Wirtz