The black honeybee (apis mellifera mellifera) is a type endemic to Belgium. In the project BEEHIVE, 2 hives are installed in the ever waste land. Bees are important actors of the food-chain and necessary facilitators of biodiversity. They are pollinators, and do not mind urban spaces. Public involvement is intended.

The idea is to observe, transform and publish the signals/outputs in order to monitor the bees and natural processes in the city. That is observing the hives directly (at the location, at dedicated moments), and more indirectly (cameras, microphones, etc.)

Inviting artists to use the output/signals of the hives is intended as feeding back translations of natural processes. Making the observation and transmission of the bee signals independent of the electric grid and sustainable asks for a photo-voltaic panel for renewable energy supply. The panel is designed as roofing for the hives.

The complexity of honeybees' highly social behavior, the organization of their colonies, their “intelligence”, preciseness and functionality in constructing, breeding, harvesting, preserving makes them carriers and collectors of information and biomonitors of the environment.

What has already happened: Since the beginning of the Ever Mass Land in February, preparations on different levels have been going on. Many helping hands were around.

The hives - made of wood need painting.

The frames - for the bees to construct need wiring and waxing.

The garden - had to be tended a bit before it could turn into the ever waste land. A communal effort took place.

The spot - Pacome and I installed a roof. To protect from rain and since we foresee to power the electronics with a photovoltaic panel…

The involvement - on the 21st of March - equinox - the installation of the hives took place.

Arrival of the bees is planned shortly. In May or June, depending on the weather, the new queens are born. Then 2 colonies will move in.

The bees are interlinked to the project spira-dye – a spiral garden for the production of organic photo-voltaic cells. Bees are mostly attracted to flowers containing anthocyanin, an organic molecule enabling photosynthesis and giving colour to a great variety of fruits and vegetables. These plants yield the dye for organic photo-voltaic cells and are complementary best pollinated by bees.

Additionally, at 2 roof top gardens, located in the centre of Brussels hives are installed. The resulting overlapping territories (airitories) of the colonies make the locations interact, as if they were communicating vessels. honeybee observatory at okno

The use of the net of the reseau citoyen for data transfer can intertwine the locations virtually and conceptually.

christina.stadlbauer@gmx.at