home.

marking

Several theoretical models have been proposed for the visual homing behaviors of insects. One such model is extended to an algorithm capable of autonomous exploration and navigation through large-scale environments. The algorithm uses a novel approach to waypoint selection during the construction of multi-leg routes by locating the boundaries between visual locales, and placing waypoints at these edges. Although the algorithm is meant for implementation of mobile robotics, direction in design is taken from these biological observations with the aim of learning and inspiring human design patterns for group intelligence, and complex systems of optimizations. Sometimes though, as what is being observed in the disappearing bee, confusion arises and causes them to lose the way home. Some theories about this confusion are even being linked to a sort of natural selection. A work in progress-this project is based on all these loosely disparate yet connected theories. By mapping the movement through human intervention - I hope to find a visual form that will connect our small diverse group by association and observing a larger pattern. I also think this idea may even be investigating the notions of - where is home and what does it mean to be lost?

strays

When several thousand bees and a queen are placed in new surroundings-which happens when the swarm enters its new domicile or a package of bees is installed, or a colony is moved to a new location-normal flight of some workers from the entrance may occur within minutes. If flowering plants are available, bees may be returning to the hive with pollen within an hour. Bees transferred by air from Hawaii to Louisiana and released at 11:30 a.m. were returning to the new location with pollen loads within an hour. Package bee buyers in the Northern States have noticed similar patterns in bees shipped from the South.What causes this virtually instant foraging by bees? What determines whether they collect pollen, nectar, or water? If food and water in the hive are sufficient, why should they leave to forage?Answers to these questions may lead to our directing bees to specific duties we desire accomplished. The work shown here entitled "strays" examines a wandering self organizing system similar to what is being suggested with the bees. I have been thinking this week that wandering is part of life and an important part of finding what is vital to creating self-sustainablity in the hive.

she covers

When investigating a potential site for a new hive, scout bees carefully check to ensure it meets certain specifications. For example: It must be large enough to hold a volume of not less than about six and a half gallons. It must have a small entrance that has a maximum diameter of about one and a half inches and that lies near the base to facilitate removal of waste. Finally, it should face south for warmth, and it should lie high off the ground to protect against predators. This week I have been revisiting the idea of a constructed identity using a comforter as an extension of self and home. In 2005, I spent one year hand sewing a comforter. An ironically appropriate activity for me as I would learn later, that the bees who are 12-20 days old called the middle-aged workers are responsible for constructing the comb. This piece entitled ‘she covers’ speaks of self-sustainability – the pursuit of constructing the hive within - it is an appropriate place to store the honey and find every necessity for comfort to sustain proper balance in life.

spaces

There are many theories about the disappearance of the honeybee. This morning I came across one of my favorites to date posted on the Smithsonian magazine site in an interview with May Berenbaum by David Zax.Quoting Berenbaum:I like the theory that visitors from another planet have decided they were going to abduct the smartest organisms on the planet, and they've picked the honeybees.

holes

If a swarming honeybee colony cannot find a good site for a new hive, it will perish. The work shown here entitled – holes – has been in progress now for over a year. I associate these holes with spaces. Traditionally holes are thought of as being empty voids or dark and dirty places. I think of them though as being an opening or an opportunity through which ideas, information, emotions, and feelings can enter in and be released out of in an exchange of life. A lot can be said about the idea of waiting with patience to find the right destintation or home- I think I have spent a little bit of time examining this concept...but like the honeybees searching for an opening or an opportunity with patience for that exchange of life– a desire must be fulfilled...or similar to the honeybees plight, it will perish under the strain of neglect- I guess it could be said that desire must find it's home.

journey

I have a mentor and friend who frequently tells me “ Cheryle, just do the work and it will organize itself.” It feels like I am always in this state of restlessly looking and searching. My new work entitled – Lines – embodies this idea of seeking. Like the worker bee the path that we take may not appear direct, but to follow the heart - to search for and seek the source of true love – will bring great reward - the nectar of the gods.

it's never about one thing

Lines are links that connect one or more related thing or system. I see my work in this way - a system of interconnected lines, ideas, and relationships. When I first began the bee project in 2005, I was thinking about the Morse code system of communication - I had been reading that during WWII the UK used a group of women trained as code readers to pinpoint enemy troop movement. These readers were Not code breakers. They decerned the slight changes between the length of the spaces between the dots and dashes in the morse code system. The spaces between the dots and dashes were unique to each individual and enabled the readers to create a profile for the sender. It proved to be trustworthy method of intelligence. I began making the bee project entitled 'spaces' during the time of this read - connecting it to my relationship and communication with my Grandmother Frances. A second piece entitled 'company' also came out of this vein of thought where I was thinking about how we are joined through spaces.. This idea is contray to the notion that space usually separates us or creates a barrier between two things or systems.

Bees are not fast fliers; while their wings beat over 11,000 cycles per minute, their flight speed averages only 15 miles per hour. I was thinking about patience today-

worker bees are all female

You may be wondering what all this bee business is about? This summer my son is getting married and my bees have been invited to become a part of this celebration- 166 of them will soon be distrubuted to the invited guests. But my Bees are also an interactive part of a new project that I am working on - check out the bee line map link.....
FACT: Worker bees are all female and make up about 85 percent of nest bees. They have three life stages, during which they have specific roles to fill. Young workers (1 to 12 days old) clean cells, nurse the brood, and tend the queen. Middle-aged workers (12 to 20 days old) build the comb, store nectar and pollen brought by forager bees, and ventilate the nest (see temperature). Older workers (20 days to 30 days or more, the rough life expectancy of a honeybee), are primarily foragers who supply nectar and provide the enzymes needed for converting it to honey. Flying at a speed of about 15 miles per hour, each can travel more than three and a half miles from home on a single flight. Bee researcher Thomas Seeley has likened this capability to a five-foot-tall person "flying" 375 miles, the distance from Boston to Washington, or from Berlin to Zürich. Pretty amazing don't you think?

Fact:

To make one pound of honey, workers in a hive fly 55,000 miles and tap two million flowers.

beginnings

As a child, I spent a good part of my summers with my grandparents in Duluth, Minnesota. The original ceramic bee was a fixture on a bright- yellow-Formica-topped table in their kitchen with a million-dollar view overlooking Lake Superior. I remember it was always filled with jam that my Grandma Frances made from the raspberries harvested from a patch in her back yard. The bee project evolved out of the childhood memories I have of this time. My relationship with Frances was complex- layered with unspoken dialogues and body language-regardless of my assignment whether it was picking berries or crawling inside and scrubbing out the lower kitchen cupboard- I understood. I knew what was expected and I never questioned why. I think of this experience as similar to living in a hive where female bees work and converse knowing and understanding with an unspoken language found in the silent space that connects them. I think the most direct talks I had with Frances where probably during this time.