Honeybees Help Create Fine Art

Bees aren’t the most obvious choice when picking collaborators, but they’ve been cooperative in helping Canadian artist Aganetha Dyck create sculptures decorated with honeycomb. Her work is inspired by the alarming disappearance of honeybees. As has been extensively covered, including here on Big Think, honeybees are integral to humans for being the “glue that holds our agriculture system together.” Their mysterious decline presents a potential ecological disaster.

From the Ottawa School of Art which will be exhibiting Dyck’s work next month:

Dyck has a keen interest in environmental issues; her current research delves into the world of the honeybees and specifically the interspecies communication that exists between humans and bees. Her current exhibition allows viewers an intimate look at the delicate and fragile nature that exists between us. Dyck’s collaboration with the bees produces sculptural alterations of man-made objects such as shoes, helmets and porcelain statues that could never have been created without this collaboration.

This is not the first time honeybees have collaborated artistically with humans. Artist and experimental philosopher Jonathan Keats was fascinated by the way honeybees “dance,” and explained to Big Think how he choreographed what he calls the honeybee ballet.