Methuselah 1.0

In late summer and fall, millions of monarchs from southern Canada and the northern United States embark on a two-month trek southwards in search of a warmer climate. This migration is crucial for their survival during the winter months, when they hibernate in the remote fir forests (oyamel) of the mountains of central Mexico. Upon awakening in February and March, they begin their journey back home, laying millions of eggs along the way before perishing. Methuselah faithfully replicates the 6,139-mile (9,880-kilometer) migratory journey of a monarch butterfly, tracing its travels throughout its annual reproductive cycle. This remarkable expedition unfolds and is mirrored in real-time on an application developed for this purpose, allowing audiences to track the path of a single monarch butterfly.

Working closely with butterfly experts, taxidermists, animators, computer modelers, and software designers for over a year, artist Reynier Leyva Novo digitally brought to life the Methuselah monarch butterfly from an analog specimen. This virtual avatar can be observed 24 hours a day over a one-year cycle. Against a black backdrop, spectators witness the butterfly flutter, fly, feed, and rest with all the grace and delicacy of a real insect. The software algorithm dictates the butterfly's movements in space based on a multitude of data points related to monarch migration patterns, ensuring each motion is unique. This presentation offers users an exclusive and unprecedented glimpse into a day in the life of a solitary monarch butterfly—a phenomenon that was previously unobservable or traceable.

Methuselah conveys a message advocating for environmental conservation and urging the preservation of a vulnerable species threatened with extinction. It also resonates with our contemporary post-pandemic era. Originating during the global COVID-19 crisis of 2020, Methuselah underscores the false sense of security provided by borders and emphasizes the imperative need for transnational collaboration and coordination to ensure planetary survival. The project serves as an optimistic showcase of art's capacity to transcend seemingly insurmountable national and geopolitical barriers while proposing fresh avenues for cross-cultural exchange. The monarch's gentle diplomacy and resilience serve as a poignant metaphor for life in the twenty-first century.

The technology behind Methuselah utilizes Unity, a video game development tool. The C# programming language, object-oriented for the .NET Framework platform, has been instrumental in crafting the avatar and its movements. The monarch's simulated path on an authentic map was ingeniously reenacted using Mapbox's versatile tools—an open-source mapping platform that seamlessly integrates access to online libraries such as OpenStreetMap and NASA datasets. By merging this with online weather services, Methuselah achieves heightened realism and accuracy in depicting the migratory route. The website's final assembly was achieved through WebGL—a JavaScript-based standard library enabling 3D graphics rendering across all web browsers—an amalgamation that optimally tailors the site for user interaction.

• METHUSELAH, 2021-22
• A digital artwork created by Reynier Leyva Novo
• Commissioned by El Museo del Barrio, New York
• With generous support from VIA Art Fund

Curators: Olga Viso | Susanna Temkin

Developer: Oreste Enrique Riquenes Peña

For further details, please visit the desktop site www.methuselahmonarch.com.