A Ceiling Made From Jewel Beetles

In the 19th century it was customary to then contemporary art to place it in the Royal Palace. After the death of King Leopold II diluted this tradition. Until the arrival of Queen Paola. Her Majesty is a great lover of contemporary art. She invited out to Jan Fabre something to do in the Royal Palace. *

It was decided to do something with the Hall of Mirrors. Originally, this room is a tribute to his to Congo, but that project remained unfinished when both King Leopold II and the principal architect of the hall, Henry Model, deceased in 1909.

Fabre decided quickly to do something with the data of the missing ceiling paintings. He occupied the ceiling with a half million wing of the jewel beetle. For months it was by 29 young artists and restorers worked. The shields of the jewel beetle have a bluish or greenish appearance. The mosaic of shields were Fabre indicate various patterns and figures embedded in it. Of on the ground results in a huge spectacle of green and blue scenes and patterns that change depending on the light and the eye of the beholder. In this way Heaven of Delight a tribute to the painting. The work is a painting that light in Instead of paint used and the gaze of the spectator as brush uses. What you see is an increasingly innovative and overwhelming spectacle, surrendered to the imagination of the spectator.

Shape is generally cylindrical or elongate to ovoid, with lengths ranging from 3 mm to an impressive 100 mm, although most species are under 20 mm. A variety of bright colors are known, often in complicated patterns. The iridescence common to these beetles is not due to pigments in the exoskeleton, but instead physical iridescence in which microscopic texture in their cuticle selectively reflects specific frequencies of light in particular directions. This is the same effect that makes a compact disc reflect multiple colors.

The larvae  bore through roots, logs, stems, and leaves of various types of plants, ranging from trees  to grasses. The wood boring types generally favor dying or dead branches on otherwise-healthy trees, while a few types attack green wood; some of these are serious pests capable of killing trees and causing major economic damage. Some species are attracted to recently-burned forests to lay their eggs. They can sense pine wood smoke for up to 50 miles away, and can see infrared  light, helping them to zero in as they get closer to a forest fire. They will bite if they feel threatened, and can aggregate to swarms of biting beetles in recently burned areas.