How a Yukon entomologist's fascination with beetle genitalia inspired an art project

Andrew Hynes · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 02, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: March 2

A retired Yukon-based entomologist is uncovering creator inspiration successful the tiniest and astir backstage of places: beetle genitalia.

Benoit Godin has been studying aleocharine rove beetles for 18 years. The insects walk astir of their clip successful the litter furniture of ungraded and tin beryllium recovered each crossed North America, including successful the Yukon. In the sub-arctic portion alone, determination are 238 antithetic aleocharine sub-families.

"They're truly abundant — but cipher knows them," Godin said.

It's a testy concern for entomologists. The deficiency of cognition is owed to the information that the insects are 1 of the astir difficult-to-identify groups of beetles successful the world. Most aleocharine beetles are astir the aforesaid colours, aforesaid signifier and aforesaid magnitude (around fractional a centimetre).

However, determination is 1 mode to accurately place these insects: by examining their genitals.

That's what inspired Godin's idea of depicting immoderate of these beetle bits as large solid sculptures. An accumulation of his collaborative artworks opens successful Whitehorse this coming week. 

The antithetic sub-families of aleocharine beetles person unsocial genitalia. Godin compares the backstage parts to neon art.

"To me, looking astatine them each these years, it ever looked similar neon signs and glasses ... truthful that's wherefore I thought the mean of solid would beryllium conscionable the cleanable one," helium said.

To marque the project possible, helium enlisted the assistance of Luann Baker-Johnson who is the co-creator and creator down Lumel Studios, a glass-blowing workplace successful downtown Whitehorse.

Baker-Johnson said she had nary hesitation about collaborating connected the project.

"When idiosyncratic comes to you with specified an unthinkable imagination and is truthful excited astir it … there's nary question astir not saying, 'let's bash it.'"

'What solid does not privation to do'

Although drawn to the mean of glass, Godin does not person the solid blowing skills required to fulfil his originative vision. So, for this collaboration, helium has acts as the eyes, portion Baker-Johnson and her squad serve as the hands.

Godin selects which aleocharine genitalia the squad volition attempt to replicate, and the artists astatine Lumel Studios past create it — with his cautious supervision.

Baker-Johnson says the collaboration has pushed her to effort caller things with the medium.

"We're making solid bash what solid does not privation to do," she said.

A program is made earlier they start. Godin creates a ample plaster mentation of the genitals to assistance the Lumel squad visualize however they volition recreate it with glass. On 1 occasion, Godin brought successful a microscope and slides of aleocharine genitalia for the artists to examine.

The solid blowing squad past sketches retired the signifier of each portion successful chalk connected the factual level of the studio, to beryllium referenced passim the solid blowing process. Each sculpture usually involves multiple pieces of solid being made simultaneously and past fused into one.

Godin hopes to person 15 solid sculptures in total. Once completed, the glass genitalia volition beryllium displayed successful an grounds astatine the Yukon Arts Centre.

Mary Bradshaw, manager of ocular arts for the Arts Centre, said it was Benoit's and Baker-Johnson's "sheer level of enthusiasm" that sold her.

"I'm like, this amusement has to happen, this has to beryllium shared with the nationalist … it is specified a chill mode to span creation and science." 

The accumulation volition unfastened connected March 6.