Wonder, a monumentally intricate installation by artist and University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Jennifer Angus, is centered on a cabinet of ninety-eight drawers. Each drawer contains a unique scene that animates her medium: insects. In this video, Angus is in conversation with Chipstone Curator and Director of Research Dr. Sarah Anne Carter. Angus discusses the wide-ranging inspirations that led to the characters and narratives in her work, including humans’ flawed attempts to control nature, histories of collecting the natural world, and our ongoing reliance on insect products.

Wonder was installed at the Chipstone Foundation in Fox Point, Wisconsin, from May 2016 until August 2017. Video by Jenny Plevin.