Dominic Harris’ World Stage uses digital representations of global species of butterflies to animate the powerful iconography of worldwide flags. In times when national, political and social identity have been brought to the forefront of our minds, we are ever more aware of the rich symbolism of the flag - what it means to display it and what it means to disrupt it. While the iconography of each flag might represent a specific geographic area or population identity, its ability to erupt in a swarm of colour and movement evokes freedom of thought and expression. Ultimately, the butterflies return to their intended, iconic design, representing the unity and collectivity that Harris also represents here.
The transition to metallic butterflies unifies the national flags in a poignant way. Taking this material transformation to another level, the presence of the viewer’s own reflection across the surface of the metallic butterflies signifies our individual responses to the flag’s iconography.
