Using complex algorithms trained on his own hand-painted collection of butterflies, Dominic Harris realises his digital lepidopterist dream of bringing new butterfly species to life. The result is an intriguing evolution in his work, manifested by a rabble of new digital butterfly specimens that are each infinitely unique, impossibly beautiful, yet entirely plausible.
Deriving from Harris’ imagination, the butterflies in Unseen are not known species that have been discovered in nature. Yet, it is plausible that butterflies which match Harris’s could one day be found. Through this work, Harris highlights that the destruction of wildlife habitats threatens so much natural beauty that we have not yet had the chance to discover. Through the creation of something beautiful, Harris highlights the dangers of man’s intervention, in these delicate ecosystems, to harrowing effect.