Mothmotion Tilework

Slipping through the Schwarzwaldstraße underpass, have you noticed the Mothmotion? This art installation transforms this mundane passage into a dynamic experience. The Mothmotion artwork, completed in 2009, isn’t just static tilework. It’s a mesmerizing display of 41 large, back-lit glass panels. These panels depict distorted images of hawk-moths, creating an illusion of movement and change as you pass by. The artist, Andrea von Lüdinghausen, collaborated with netzwerkarchitekten to achieve this effect. They used a technique called anamorphosis, a perspective trick known since the Renaissance. The distorted moth images only appear whole from certain angles, enhancing the feeling of the moths flitting past as you move through the underpass. Imagine these giant moths, delicate creatures magnified to fill your vision. The chosen species, the hummingbird hawk-moth, is known for its lightning-fast flight. It can change direction in a split second. This agility is reflected in the artwork, as the moths appear and disappear with each step. The Mothmotion is designed to interact with the very essence of the underpass: movement. If you were to stand still, the full image would remain elusive. The artwork even plays with your perception of time and space. The fleeting glimpses of these oversized insects evoke a sense of ancient worlds and the deep sea. The Mothmotion truly captures the “change of location over time,” transforming a simple underpass into a captivating journey.