Somewhere over the Atlantic, 36,000 feet up, an entomologist is fretting about his luggage. Aside from the usual toiletries and underwear in his bag, he’s responsible for some very special cargo. Rare insect specimens, some more than 100 years old, too valuable or fragile to be trusted to the postal system, are being transported from New York to the UK, and it’s his responsibility to ensure they arrive safely. The specimens will enjoy a brief spell at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History before heading to the studio of Levon Biss, an extreme macro photographer who impressed audiences with his book and exhibition Microsculpture in 2017.
Levon’s studio has the air of a cabinet of curiosity that houses antiquities and exotic specimens. The walls in this room are grey, the floor is cement and the shelves are lined with glass cloches. Sitting down to chat with Levon over Zoom, I spot a vintage prosthetic leg in the background – there’s a strange beauty to its raw, mechanical honesty. Levon’s
