When artist and former bee keeper Sarah Hatton first created Bee Works -- an art project arranging hundreds of honey bees in mathematical patterns -- it was to recover from the loss of her own beehives, and to raise awareness about global bee colony decline. "Bee Works [in 2013] was a conceptual pilot project that I had created as a way to cope with the sense of loss and frustration that I had felt when I lost my own beehives,"
Hatton tells WIRED.co.uk. After the project garnered international interest, Hatton decided to deploy her art to spread the message about the plight of bee colonies worldwide.
While Hatton's original piece, dubbed "Florid", started out with 500 bees, her current works now comprise an average of around 9,750 bees each, she says. "Some of the dead bees were provided by other concerned beekeepers who had seen my work and who wanted to contribute to the message".
A new piece called "Cluster" is a multi-layered sculpture that recreates the ancient Flower of Life geometrical pattern with bee-lined petri dishes.
Hatton aims to imbue her works with symbolism and wordplay, and says that this new piece specifically references the "epidemic nature" of bee colony collapse.
Focusing on creating swirling and vertiginous patterns, Hatton's new works are displayed on larger panels. The change in scale, she says, occupies the viewer's full field of vision, resulting in optical illusions that can even induce vertigo. "The gallery was even considering posting a warning for visitors who may have issues of vertigo or epilepsy, as there has been a definite physical reaction from everyone who stands in front of them," says Hatton.
Beekeepers will work in close proximity with large numbers of bees, while the average person will only ever encounter a few at a time. Hatton notes that though viewers of her works might initially experience a sense of shock when they see a "frozen" swarm of bees, this gives way to feelings of loss. "These bees are all arranged in an intricate choreography," says Hatton. "Even in death, there is a palpable sense of respect for the bees' greatest instinct -- that each individual works for the greater good of all."
Since 2013, Hatton has heard from people working to support bee populations or to boycott companies using neonicotinoid pesticides, blamed for the decline in colonies. Europe banned their use in 2013, yet Hatton comments that she would like North America to follow suit, so that "pollinator populations are given a fighting chance to recover".
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
