This was a live project working with Brighton and Hove council, proposing ideas for a disused green strip that runs through the city centre, known as Valley Gardens. We worked closely with council members and representatives from local groups such as Rewilding Sussex, as well as students from other courses. I proposed an atmospheric, biodiverse night garden, and designed three different moth traps for different scenarios, focusing on education and research. Moth trapping is an easy and exciting way to get urban children in touch with the natural world, in safe direct contact with animals. I created unique scenario strips to accompany each moth trap design, which set the scene in the atmospheric night garden.
1. Portable Moth Catcher – a gun-shaped torch with a reflective chamber on the end that moths fly into, with velcro-attached lid. To be used by children so they can move around to catch moths, instead of waiting around a stationary trap.
2. Moth Trapp – a fold-out trap to be used with a smartphone, with accompanying app. With the app, the phone lights up the reflective trap, and also uses motion detection to take recordings of moths that fly inside. It also has the potential to identify moth species if it is able to gather enough data.
3. Moth Bloom – large mirrored flowers which gently illuminate the night garden, enticing nocturnal insects with ‘moth food’. The light and food makes for easy observation of species by researchers. The umbrella-like structure closes up as the sun rises, using light sensors.