Antwerp City Collection

Panamarenko built his first Maybug in 1968 – an installation still closely linked with his poetic objects. The overall piece comprises a small iron table with a sheet of glass. There is a wooden box on top with an electric cable, to which a small mechanical Maybug is fastened. The insect has an electric motor and wings made of iron wire and cellophane.

Panamarenko built a larger, better-functioning version in 1975, which he demonstrated on 25 May that year in a circus tent on Place Flagey in Brussels. The artist stressed the fairytale character of the demonstration by dressing up in the robes of a Chinese magician. He brought a red typewriter case with him, containing a giant mechanical Maybug he had made. The case was decorated with a picture of a circus act performed by a Chinese conjurer, captioned ‘Salto Arte’. The iron beetle was connected by a cable to a battery, also located in the case, and its wing-cases were painted white, with red stars. An electric motor with a concealed propeller beneath the wing-cases caused the wings to move. During
the performance, Panamarenko made the Maybug take off, its wings flapping noisily. The cable was a little too short, so the insect was pulled off balance and crashed to the floor. Having been repaired, the beetle became a museum exhibit and was not used in any further demonstrations.