Seminar Report # 3
Earlier this month, I wanted another perspective on some questions I was considering. I contacted Sarah Peebles, an artist I found this summer, as well as Susan Frye, an educator and entomologist working out of U of Toronto. I wrote them in separate emails, and customized the questions towards each of them. I created these questions specifically for Sarah after I found one of her “bee-booths” in the High Park Nature Centre’s native garden last spring. After looking at her work and reading about it in her blog Resonating Bodies– https://resonatingbodies.wordpress.com/
Even if the artistic medium she uses (mainly woodwork, writing, and sound) is not what I am working with, the connection to bringing awareness to bee habitat drew me in.
I had emailed Sarah earlier in the summer, asking if she could give me input on my concept because I thought her perspective as an artist who integrates bees and citizen science would help in my research focus. She replied with lots of information about bees and their nesting and that continues to influence my research. It helped in my decision to look specifically into wild and native bees and their nesting as opposed to “bees” as a broad topic, and why they are significant in Toronto, and any city.
Below I transcribed our interview:
1. How did you get involved with the High Park Nature centre? What was a highlight from incorporating your bee booth into their native garden?
I stumbled upon High Park nature centre one day, many years ago walking through the park, so I knew it existed. And then early on, I had a prototype audio bee-booth- a kind of sensory bee-booth that I needed to relocate and so I contacted them and they had a nice little space for it and it got transferred there. And then later, when I had a commissioned bee-booth that needed to be relocated, I contacted them again and they had developed into… well, they had become a more developed set of programs and they were a perfect place to relocate that to. It was sort of a… I think a donation or maybe they bought it- I forget! At any rate, that is how I became involved with High Park Nature centre. And a highlight in incorporating that booth into the native garden, I would say is the bee club- the Native Bee Monitoring club that we were able to establish to investigate native bees with the community and the garden, that included the bee booth- the bee cabinet. That ran I think for- I can’t remember if it was two years or three years… and it might continue into the future!
2. How essential is nature connection opportunities for children in an urban environment (in your opinion)?
I don’t really have an opinion, to be honest, about how essential nature connection opportunities for children are in an urban environment. I do have an opinion that nature connection opportunities for people of all ages is quite important, no matter where they live, but particularly that… that we raise the bar in people’s understanding of science and biology so that we can make better decisions as a society on all levels, about all sorts of things.
3. Do you see a gap currently in nature connection and citizen science? If yes, where can community and interactive art play a role?
I have no opinion about a gap in nature connection and citizen science because I’m not really… my awareness isn’t very developed in that whole area honestly. There’s a lot of citizen science going on in the world, which I think is wonderful but I don’t know enough about it to comment.
I could say though, that community and interactive art… in citizen science is potentially a powerful tool because art opens the door to science. As a species, we have a natural interest in- we’re curious as a species, and we have a natural interest in aesthetically compelling things, I believe. I believe we have evolved to have those qualities and so I think art… interactive arts can be very important in citizen science development and just in interacting in general, with citizen science.
4. How could art/craft/design help protect bee populations in Toronto and the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) in a sustainable, long-term way?
First of all, I want to say that thoughtful land management is the most effective tool, especially when everybody is participating, on all levels, to help protect bee populations in Toronto, the GTA, and anywhere- period- in a sustainable, long-term way. That is the number one thing!
Art, craft, and design could potentially help in small ways. For example, you’ve seen already how it has brought to your attention… new information about biology you didn’t know- that might help you decide how to better manage your land. Other than that, I would say that (as I recommended to you) Scott MacIvor had a very interesting lab when he was at the University of Toronto (with Daniel’s Architecture) that had to do with people designing building interfaces. That could help protect some bee populations in very small ways (possibly) but I’m not an expert on that, that’s just my opinion and I think you should ask Scott!
5. Out of the many issues facing the wild and native bee populations in Toronto (and Canada), which do you think is important for an artist/craftsperson/designer to communicate?
First of all, I want to clarify that native bee populations are by definition “wild”. And that not all wild bees, per se, are native because many of them are introduced species. Mostly, we cannot do anything about them and some of them, however, are feral honeybees which we probably can do something about but anyway… which do I think is important? I think all of them are important. I think everybody taking actions, from many different angles eventually adds up to something bigger and something very valuable. I personally have chosen to start with people gaining a sort of mental image of biodiversity. I think for me that’s a good place to start because I think that is what we lack- it’s hard to have a conversation that’s informed if you don’t have that.
6. If possible, could you give me an example and describe a human-made bee-nesting structure/ shelter you have made before?
What surprised you in the process? What did interaction with the object look like- with bees and/or humans?
An example of a human made bee-nesting structure I’ve made before; I’ll just address briefly: the audio bee cabinet and audio bee-booth. These are both similar, they’re sensory bee cabinets.
[Here’s Sarah’s description from the Resonating Bodies blog]:
“Audio Bee Booths and Cabinets foster the art and science of observing solitary native bees and their role in pollination ecology. Aesthetically compelling, immersive and informative, these outdoor works intersect habitat interpretation, bio-art, sound installation and sculpture. They allow the public to safely view and listen to solitary-dwelling, (mostly) native bees — pollinators which are quite different than European honey bees — and solitary wasps, nature’s insect controllers.”
What surprised me about interaction with the animals and the people… the “Pollination Wunder Station” at the Tree Museum [in the “Items May Shift” exhibition, Gravenhurst, ON] surprised me when I visited this sensory bee-booth and it was hopping with bees! The bees that were using it were extremely active and it just made the structure itself- the animals animated the structure in a way I would never have been able to imagine, and it was really, really cool!
The Pollination Wunder Station:
Sarah's response continued:
The second example is with humans… a similar structure, a smaller one called “Sonic Solitaries” which is also a sensory bee-cabinet. It was commissioned by the Cambridge Sculpture Garden [Ontario] and when I was there, I had a really interesting interaction with a person who came by. A community member had come by before and… maybe he had come by several times, I don’t know- but he was quite acquainted with the area of the small sculpture garden and he had looked before but had never really made a connection between the audio and visual. I gave him a loop and I showed him how to use the loop (which is a lens).
He said to me specifically- while he was listening, and not looking with a loop but his bare eye, he said “I can’t hear anything.” And I said “Here, you need the loop. Here’s how you use the magnifier while you listen”. And he said- very surprised- he said “Oh my god! How did you get the sound in that little lens?”
Of course, he was experiencing a psychological phenomenon which is suddenly, you can hear what you see- as long as you can see it really up close because you’re hearing very small sounds, which are being made by very small things and you have to be able to see them really up close. That was a really interesting interaction with a person, I’ll say that!
7. Considering your perspective as an artist and creative person, how do you see textiles* specifically being used in conservation efforts for bee populations, especially for native species? * (I am currently focused on dimensional work such as basketry, weaving, and reusing materials)
I have no answer for you, I’m sorry! It’s not a medium that I work with (textiles). I don’t have any vision with that. I’m sure there is potential, as there is with most things and that’s something that I hope that you can discover in your own journey- good luck with that!
...Back to question seven- I do have one thought and that is that textiles could be used to bring attention to an object or a site that perhaps incorporates other materials, that are not textiles- or a site that simply creates bee habitat, one way or another for native bees- or which protects habitat… which is already existing. Textiles can be used in a way that brings attention to something. That’s not what you’re asking but- well, that’s being used in a conservation effort, sure, why not!
And specifically, there is an idea which is that textiles… like tiles, if you consider tiles a textile. Tiles can tell a story. You can paint on them, you can use tiles to create signage of a variety of things, you know… you can create signage that has information, that helps people understand biology. You can create a tile for every bee in Canada! [laughs] I don’t know, you can create tiles of phenology or flowers visited by certain bees… stuff like that.
8. What is the first word(s) you think of when you see…
“bee home”
tunnel, structure…
“bee culture”
archetype, and people
_____
Reflection:
My first impression was that the tone and answers felt abrupt- not as open or in-depth as I was hoping for. She opted to record herself since there was less time available to call. I could tell she sounded happier to answer some questions more than others and she seemed to avoid committing to sharing an “opinion” directly. Considering that it was a remote interview, not a live conversation, I could have been more prepared for this and I accept the results. My questions could have been reduced and revised for clarity. I may have expected certain responses without realizing I was doing that- of course I can’t control their answers so this is a lesson in listening too! I thought I would get more enthusiasm and instant inspiration from our interview.
All words considered, what I did get is valuable and I’m grateful Sarah could take the time to answer my questions. Perhaps what I was looking for, too, was a boost in trusting my own journey and research which I think this interview accomplished.
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