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Like a scene from a Tim Burton movie, these robo
insects will make your skin crawl.
From 6in long scorpions to tarantulas as big as your hand, these creepy
crawlies have been captured, frozen and given a new life as part-insect
part-machine art masterpieces.
Artist Lindsey Bessanson spends many happy hours freeze-drying,
spreading and arranging a tarantula or six-inch scorpion into an
incredible work of art.
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'I started with making insect jewellery around 2003,' said Lindsey, from
Arizona. 'I'd buy dead insects online and cast them in sterling silver.
'My first dung beetle made me want to start working with the actual
insects as art instead of casting them - It was a brilliant purple
colour.
'Sometimes the casting just isn't as beautiful as the original bug. They
can be very jewel-like in themselves.'
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Buying her insects from a mix of eBay sellers and specialist
entomologist sites, Lindsey takes the dried specimens and puts them
through a humidifier for a couple of days.
This process allows her to open up the wings and legs, fan them out and
position them.
When she finds a very good-looking insect around her home, she'll have
her husband place it in the freezer for a quick, humane death before it
is immortalised as art.
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'I can't even give them the last, "Okay you're going to die now..."
speech. It's too sad,' said Lindsey.
To produce her robo-bugs Lindsey took the insect apart, strengthen each
joint with metal and then put it back together again.
Each insect sculpture can take her up to two weeks to complete.
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As word has spread about Lindsey's intriguing pastime, friends and
acquaintances have brought interesting insects to her.
'A work colleague of mine is fascinated by what I do, and she'll have
her nephew hunt down insects and bring them in to the office.
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'I'll be working on something and she'll come by and put a massive bee
on my desk.'
Lindsey's art works sell for between £75 and £190, but she also sells
prints of her most popular pieces.
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