The piece tells the story of a moth drawn irresistibly to the bright lights of the city. Coming from the darkness and calm of the countryside, the moth is attracted by the splendour of the dazzling urban lights. It flutters through the chaos and noise, navigating this strange and foreign environment, its streets and alleys. One light in particular captures its attention—glowing brightly in a window—and it feels compelled to get closer. As the moth flies toward the source, it becomes less able to resist its pull, its senses consumed by the iridescent brilliance. Finally, the moth finds itself inside a paper lampshade, where it flutters around, utterly transfixed and confused by the overwhelming glow. Eventually, it finds its way out again, returning to the countryside through the city outside.
Moths are drawn to light with an attraction that eludes human comprehension. They navigate by moonlight, using its constancy as a compass—yet artificial illumination disrupts this ancient mechanism, leaving them disoriented and confused. We lack the sensory capacity to understand what they experience, the compulsion a simple lamp exerts upon them. Moths are casualties of a human-designed world, their instincts undermined by our infrastructure. Yet perhaps we too fail to fully comprehend the world we have created, or the myriad ways it shapes and confounds us.
Moths are drawn to light with an attraction that eludes human comprehension. They navigate by moonlight, using its constancy as a compass—yet artificial illumination disrupts this ancient mechanism, leaving them disoriented and confused. We lack the sensory capacity to understand what they experience, the compulsion a simple lamp exerts upon them. Moths are casualties of a human-designed world, their instincts undermined by our infrastructure. Yet perhaps we too fail to fully comprehend the world we have created, or the myriad ways it shapes and confounds us.