(right) Anne-Marie Maes "Glossa" (2017), "Transparent Beehive" (2012), and "Red Flag" (2017), Gruppo 9999 posters (1971)
The lightbox on the left depicts a scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of an Apis Mellifera's (most common honey bee) extended glossa, the hairy "tongue" in the bee's mouth that collects nectar from flowers. In 2013, the colony inhabiting Maes' "Transparent Beehive," which had been miked to record the bees' vibrations, movements and the build up of beeswax, suffered colony collapse disorder due to the invasion of the waxmoth. Standing empty, emitting only the recorded sounds of the honey bees that once inhabited it, this work bears witness to colony collapse disorder that poses a challenge to farmers the world around.
Maes' "Red Flag," a biotextile grown by microorganisms, is a warning that reflects the health status of the environment. Gruppo 9999's rose-colored poster from 1971 implores "students and environment cultivators" to pay attention to their degraded environment.
Maes' "Red Flag," a biotextile grown by microorganisms, is a warning that reflects the health status of the environment. Gruppo 9999's rose-colored poster from 1971 implores "students and environment cultivators" to pay attention to their degraded environment.
Copyright 2017 Sue Spaid