While hiking in Lynn Valley, my attention was caught by a thin layer of white on the ground, and glints fluttering down through the sky. I realized it was thousands of moths filling the air, and thousands more expired on the ground. It was a natural bloom of Western Hemlock Loopers, occurring once every twenty years.

As I made my way along the river I saw many moths still fluttering, but countless more covering the pools of water beside the rushing stream – spinning in whirlpools of wings and pushed down into the rapids.

How fleeting is life? Who will remember each of those moths, who exist in the exhilaration of an instance? I am alive and defiant. But one day my fluttering body will descend like the moths.

This piece was inspired by defiance in the face of fragility. It was painted on copper and was heated with a torch until it displayed orange, red, purple, and turquoise patinas. I see metal as a defiant substrate akin to our aliveness – shiny, hard and unyielding in its youth. Yet even metal succumbs to time and the elements, finally showing its fragility through rust of many colours.

This piece will not be included in the physical exhibition on Granville Island but meets the quality standards of the FCA and is classified as, "Recognized Artwork."