I Dreamt I Was a Butterfly – The Conservation Edition
Copyright Chuck East
Bristol-based Kickstarter photo book project – for every four books pledged one book will be donated to Butterfly Conservation. The first-ever photo book of butterflies photographed in flight is available now on Kickstarter, until the 22nd of October, and it’s a Bristol-based creation.
The campaign was created by Bristol University graduate Oliver East, to publish the 2nd book in a series of photographs by his dad, Chuck East. For every four books sold, one book will be donated to Butterfly Conservation. The donations will continue after the Kickstarter campaign is finished.
Copyright Chuck East
Titled I Dreamt I Was a Butterfly – The Conservation Edition, the book will be available to Kickstarter backers for £40, a 20% discount off RRP at £50.
With Extinction Rebellion and Global Climate Strikes drawing people together to demand environmental action from governments, the purity and beauty of the butterfly’s flight is a powerful icon for nature conservation. Chuck: “There are few symbols of the fragility and beauty of our world more potent than the butterfly. A butterfly’s lifespan can be just days or weeks, yet it has left its imprint on our world for millennia.
In ancient Greece, a word for butterfly was psyche. In Chinese culture, two butterflies flying together are said to symbolise love. And, to Native Americans, the butterfly is a symbol of change and joy. In each of us, there is a soulful yearning to create and sustain life. Part of that natural urge is expressed in the nurturing and healing of the earth not least so that tomorrow’s children can delight in the power and beauty of Nature as we know it today.
A wonderful living icon for conservation is the butterfly as a brilliant and mesmerising aviator, a dream maker and a symbol of love and health.” And what about the relationship between butterflies and birds? Moths and butterflies are an important element of the food chain and are prey for birds, bats and other insectivorous animals. For example, in Britain and Ireland, Blue Tits eat an estimated 50 billion moth caterpillars each year.
Copyright Chuck East
About the creators: The photographer, Chuck East – After a 35-year film career, directing and producing documentaries, TV specials and advertisements. Chuck has returned in recent years to his first love, photography, as a more personal way to explore the world.
His interest is in discovering the beauty of the ordinary aspects of life that are all around us – not just for the privileged few, but accessible to all. Most of his images are from the family garden. While photography is the initial medium, the final artwork is often painterly, which is simply the result of the way he exposes the image followed by simple adjustments to light, shadow and colours the choice of archival art papers for printing.
The publisher, Oliver East – Inspired by his dad’s photographs, Oliver encouraged him to collect these unique images into a photo book and share them more widely. He has a degree in Spanish and Portuguese from the University of Bristol but has recently turned his focus to sustainable building, helping to construct the first hempcrete house in the Haute Savoie, France.
Copyright Chuck East
About The Author
Hi, I’m Dr. Mya-Rose Craig. I am a 19-year-old prominent British-Bangladeshi ornithologist, environmentalist, diversity activist as well as an author, speaker and broadcaster. At age 11 I started the popular blog Birdgirl, and at age 17 I became the youngest person to see half of the birds in the world.
Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood
This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.
Lyrical, poignant and insightful.’ - Margaret Atwood
This is my story; a journey defined by my love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.