PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Opening Reception Thursday, September 22, 2011, 5-8 p.m.
The exhibition continues to October 15, 2011.

More Than Butterflies is a deeply personal show first inspired by people's kindness towards the artist after suffering personal loss, which then evolved into a socio-cultural statement.

In Waters’ More Than Butterflies Series, he reuses coins and other objects to create images of butterflies in flight. The desire to develop the butterfly series is premised on the Butterfly Effect, with the acknowledgement that the simple flapping of a butterfly's wings can create far-reaching, ripple effects. In the positive sense, individual (and collective) action can have a powerful, dynamic impact in society.
In addition, the butterfly series is an exploration of the human construct of ‘value’. For example, base elements of coin, such as copper (born “valueless” in the natural world) are commodified in society, resulting in a new language: “currency.” Waters challenges this language by recycling the economically-imbued object, casting it into new shapes. By re-purposing its function (for example, into a butterfly tapestry), the coin’s monetary value continues to be called into question.

Another aspect of Waters’ work is the counter-intuitive use of hard objects to create pieces that appear fragile or soft. Butterflies themselves are delicate and fragile whereas the coin representation of the butterfly is indestructible. Further, the coin pieces (or bottle caps) are woven together to create tapestries, with the weight of the metal resulting in folds and the appearance of soft fabric.

Raymond Waters Butterfly 2011, American 1¢, 5¢ and $1 coins with copper wire and solid copper rod, 72 x 96 x 3 inches (182 x 243 cm)