Jerusalem Artichoke in human-, butterfly- and bee vision.
Ultraviolet
Insecta Spectra
Simulated Butterfly and Bee vision
The way insects see the colorful world of flowers differs from our perception.
The human vision is based on the colors red, green, and blue.
Insects however, can also see in the ultraviolet (UV) part of the spectrum.
Plants make use of this phenomena by advertising secret messages to those who can see in UV.
These can be messages of how to spot the nectar, where the pollen is, or landing strips on how to approach the flower.
And so, during millions of years, a mutual beneficial relationship evolved: honey for being pollinated.
As UV rays travel hardly through glass, and as lenses are made of glass, taking pictures in the UV spectrum is quite remarkable.
Dr. Klaus Schmitt from Weinheim, Germany, made these stunning UV pictures, simulating the perception of colors by insects with a very rare 105mm Nikkor UV lens. If I understand correctly, only 11 where built for scientific purposes for NASA with a very special glass alloy of quartz/fluorite. One such lens costs a fortune equal to a high class Italian sport car.
I made this film in collaboration with Dr. Klaus Schmitt for the 'Photosynthesis' botanic art exhibition of the Tropism Art and Science Collective.
Insecta Spectra
Simulated Butterfly and Bee vision
The way insects see the colorful world of flowers differs from our perception.
The human vision is based on the colors red, green, and blue.
Insects however, can also see in the ultraviolet (UV) part of the spectrum.
Plants make use of this phenomena by advertising secret messages to those who can see in UV.
These can be messages of how to spot the nectar, where the pollen is, or landing strips on how to approach the flower.
And so, during millions of years, a mutual beneficial relationship evolved: honey for being pollinated.
As UV rays travel hardly through glass, and as lenses are made of glass, taking pictures in the UV spectrum is quite remarkable.
Dr. Klaus Schmitt from Weinheim, Germany, made these stunning UV pictures, simulating the perception of colors by insects with a very rare 105mm Nikkor UV lens. If I understand correctly, only 11 where built for scientific purposes for NASA with a very special glass alloy of quartz/fluorite. One such lens costs a fortune equal to a high class Italian sport car.
I made this film in collaboration with Dr. Klaus Schmitt for the 'Photosynthesis' botanic art exhibition of the Tropism Art and Science Collective.