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.

The Transparent Beehive installation gives an artistic survey of one season in the hive of the city honeybees. As an artist, beekeeper, and herbalist I study the city bee colonies. Closely observing 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.

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. This transparent observation hive is a very special experiment. Watching the bees closely, I try to understand the distributed intelligence of these 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, as a super organism.
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. For video information: Bee Monitoring in pandora video database.

1. DESIGN
2. OPERATION
3. DESTRUCTION