A professor in Nantou County has used photographs of moths to create more than 300 tile patterns.
Chen Yen-cheng (陳彥錚), a professor at National Chi Nan University’s Department of Information Management, moved to Puli Township (埔里) 18 years ago.
One morning three years ago, he and his wife, Liu Mei-chu (劉美菊), saw moths while exercising near Timu Temple (地母廟).
Photo: Tung Chen-kuo, Taipei Times
With limited knowledge of the insects, they uploaded the photographs they took on their cellphones to the Endemic Species Research Institute’s Taiwan Moth Information Center Web site for help.
Over the past three years, they have taken more than 5,000 photographs, more than 3,400 of which have been shared on the Web site.
They have recorded more than 600 moth species, including rare ones that have prompted visits from experts at the institute.
Chen on Thursday last week said that he originally just wanted to photograph the insects, but after a visit to the Museum of Ancient Taiwan Tiles in Chiayi City several months ago, he was inspired to use the photographs to create tile patterns.
Like butterflies, which are also members of the order Lepidoptera, different moths have different patterns on their wings, Chen said.
Initially, Chen used a mobile phone app to create the patterns, he said.
However, due to limitations such as lower-resolution images and only being able to view the images on his cellphone, Chen said that he decided to write his own program.
The program allows him to adjust the direction, size and other aspects of his photographs, and turn them into symmetrical tile patterns, Chen said, adding that sometimes he adds images of branches or fallen leaves to the background.
The possibilities are endless, he said, adding that he has completed more than 300 patterns.
Liu, who was a university Chinese professor before she retired, has written poems about moths to accompany the images.
Chen and Liu said that a friend had suggested to them that printing the patterns onto coasters, floor tiles or other surfaces could be a profitable business.
However, they said that they just want to share their observations and appreciation of moths with more people, and to do something for the environment.
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