Right: Ouetzaltototl, Pharomachrus mocinno, Resplendent Quetzal
In nature, iridescence is an optical phenomenon often found in nature in butterfly wings, mother of pearl, insect exoskeletons, scales, and bird feathers. On iridescent surfaces, color shifts with changes in the angles of observation and illumination. The phenomenon is often caused when multiple semi-transparent surfaces interact, modulating the reflections of incidental light. Other examples include bubbles, minerals, cloud iridescence, oil spills, and plants.
Many of the colors we see in bird feathers come from pigments – porphyrins, melanins, and carotenoids. Iridescent feathers are a purely structural phenomenon. Rather than pigments, light is refracted by the proteins of the feather. The nanostructure of the iridescent bird feather splits the light, creating a prism of component hues. The barbules of the feather interact with and manipulate the wavelengths of light, creating the dazzling effect we know as iridescence.
In Europe, the feathers of iridescent Aztec mosaics could effectively communicate the divine through evoking the light of the heavens. Due to the iridescence of these feathers, when light shifts, a luminous effect is created, calling upon the concept of divine light. Light in Christianity is symbolic of purity, spirituality, and genesis, as Jesus is often described as the light of the world. Where the luminous qualities of feathers in these mosaics once honored Aztec rulers and deities, they would now glorify God.
The thousands of tiny fibers in featherwork mosaics bend and reflect light in all directions, creating the illusion of divine light and movement. The many layers of feathers work to create a relief structure. When getting closer to the piece, it becomes clear that the material becomes activated by the light refracted in the feathers.
Feathers are a unique material that challenge the notion of surface in artworks. The medium is activated through light, which creates the illusion of the religious artworks shimmering with spirituality and vibrance. The dynamics of light interacting in feathers is not unlike the interaction of color and light that shines through stained-glass windows found in Cathedrals, or that reflects off of precious stones in Christian Byzantine mosaics. These mediums play with the interaction of light to display divinity in heavenly scenes.
Feather Mosaics 