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Table of Contents
TRANSPARENT BEEHIVE
TB project introduction
This is the logbook where the design, the operation, and the destruction of the Transparent Beehive is described. The logs are stuffed with pictures from the installation in situ and with links that clarify the different levels of the artwork. For moving image documentation and soundfiles we will link to the pandora video database, category Bee Monitoring. All photos, videos, soundrecordings and artwork is courtesy Annemie Maes.
TB project abstract
In the Transparent Beehive the city honeybees are the main performers. The sonification of the bees' actions creates a real-time subtle soundtrack for the life in the hive. An OpenStructure observation hive illustrates values such as community building and collective decision making among the bees.
The Transparent Beehive installation gives an artistic survey of one season in the hive of the city honeybees.
I study the city bee colonies as a beekeeper, an artist and an herbalist . As an observer at the flighthole of the hive I collect data on the passage of time in relation to the colonies’ behaviour in urban surroundings. The project is located in the open air laboratorium of our urban rooftop garden. It offers the opportunity to study the bee colony as a bio-indicator. In this documentary installation I give a research survey of the timeslice april 2012 - june 20123 in data, sound and images.
Research in the OpenGreens
Honeybees are good bio-indicators. Biological indicators are species that are used to monitor the health of their ecosystem.
Bioindicators can tell us about the cumulative effects of different pollutants in the ecosystem. The honeybees are generally doing well in the city. City honeybees have more food diversit and less problems with pesticides and monocultures.
We experiment with different kinds of beehives, and we also build our own observation hives. This experimental hive gives the bees more freedom and thus it is an experiment in sustainable beekeeping.
I try to understand the distributed intelligence of social insects : their behaviour, ecology and sociobiology. By monitoring the bees and beehive with all kinds of sensors, I study the colony as a community.
I document this research with all kind of media and ultimately I'll use the extracted data to make artworks based upon the bees' behaviour over time.
video information: http://pandora.okno.be/find?l=L6 ⇒ category Connected OpenGreens