Maggot Masters

The artistic talents of the common or garden maggot have finally been recognised...

"Maggot Art is a fantastic new teaching tool for use in the elementary school setting. Children get hands-on experience with insects that most people find truly disgusting -- maggots -- while creating a beautiful piece of artwork to share with others."

Apparently, you dip the maggot in paint and let it squirm it's way to a work of art. It's as simple as that.

I'm doing the living room up soon. Perhaps it would be trendy to dip the parrot and cat in contrasting shades of Dulux, let-off a Chinese fire-cracker and watch a masterpiece unfold before my very eyes?

...I'll give it serious thought.

What tickled me most was the scientific way in which the art evolved.

"A fellow lab mate and I were hanging around after many, many hours of rearing maggots and we said, 'Hey, what would happen if we dipped them in paint?'"

...I think they need to get out more.

Further down the second article, the maggots welfare, inevitably, comes into question:

"'The process is harmless for the maggots', Bullard said, noting she has received numerous e-mails voicing concern for the maggots' well-being."

And, to support this, the faq's clearly state:

Q: "Will the maggots be harmed in the making of Maggot Art?"

A: "We use only non-toxic water-based paints to make Maggot Art. The maggots are not harmed by this paint, and they are released as adults after they have completed their development."

Blimey! Fair play to them. We're still arguing the toss over whether it's right for a fox to be ripped apart by a pack of dogs!

The founders of the project are:

"Rebecca Bullard, a graduate student in entomology, and Brandi Schmitt and Charlotte Wacker from the School of Medicine's Donated Body Program"

The mind boggles!

Apparently,..

"Bullard met Schmitt after moving to UC Davis last year to continue her graduate studies. 'We just kind of clicked and became friends,' Schmitt said. 'For me it's dead bodies and for her it's maggots. We both study things most people consider gross.'"

I bet their dinner parties are a barrel of laughs!