Today I have been thinking about all the different ways we build narratives of dream and expectation in our minds. All the layers we’ve woven within us around our bones and collected into our auras like stars and planets – turning and mirrorballing the light of the suns we are to ourselves.
All the stories we’ve absorbed hold close, become a skin we wear. A skin we can’t see ourselves, from the inside out, but we can be seen in, from the outside in.
And it made me think of Caddisfly Larvae – those tiny stream creatures that spend one of their incarnations building little pieces of water sediment – sand and bark and bone and stone – into a tubular shell.
Sealing themselves inside their treasures with a silk spun from the mouth, they cement themselves in until they’re ready to fly.
There’s a moment in new friendships when the shimmering freshness of a first acquaintance starts to steady into focus, like a mirage cooling to reveal the view. This is often when the caddisfly larvae skins of stories reveal their components. Close up, see how a shard of confidence, nestled in by a splinter of loss, is wedged perfectly to fit up against a collar of love… that’s in turn buffered by a knit of wit supporting a fear of hubris…
The artist Hubert Duprat began co-creating art with Caddisfly Larvae in the 1980s. After carefully undressing each one, he’d place it in a new habitat composed of tiny pieces of gold, turquoise, opals, lapis lazuli, coral, pearls, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds… And sure enough the naked larvae began to build themselves the most exquisite homes, homes fit for miniature Greek gods, each worm selecting unique combinations for their own protection and pleasure.
Duprat’s Trichopterae project is an extraordinarily beautiful artistic collaboration. There’s much to be read on his process that is thought provoking and could lead you in many directions. Here’s a good start if you’d like to explore more: https://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/25/duprat.php
One question that has been asked of Duprat’s artwork is whether we have a right to interfere with nature in this way. But I can’t help also wondering…
What would happen if we became the Duprat to our own inner caddisfly larvae?
If we could peel off the shells we’ve made around ourselves and choose afresh?