Insects in "God's Living Room"

June 15, 2010 By: Marshall Cutchin

For anyone interested in biological diversity or intrigued by pretty bugs, “Sunday Morning”‘s segment on the art of Christopher Marley was a visual feast. Marley, a former fashion model who became a “bug artist,” assembles colorful and interesting insects (mostly beetles, but just about anything eye-catching) into framed works of art, which he sells for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars.
“You know,” he says, “I’ve kind of had this vision for a long time, of what would God’s living room look like? And I imagine that he’d have these framed pieces of all his prototypes, you know, everything immaculately portrayed and perfectly clean, and beautiful.” (Watch the segment video.)
Also interesting is Marley’s answer to the question “Isn’t collecting rare species harmful to the planet?” Marley points out that rare insects will thrive wherever their habitat is protected, and providing local collectors with income increases the odds that they will become protectors of the environment.