Hive

2022
Vellum paper, silicone, thread, electronic components, microcontrollers, light and sound

Hive uses light, sound, and sculpture to unsettle the boundaries between what we recognize as natural and what we recognize as constructed, manufactured, and artificial. I think this ambiguity provides opportunities to consider communication outside of human understanding and interpretation, specifically that of animal and plants species, where we may witness exchanges but lack the full context. I drew on a range of references from the natural world in this work, including the glowing translucence of different marine and insect species and the repetitive, buzzing/chirping nature of the sound. It is nevertheless much too repetitive, uniform, and obviously electronic to accurately reflect its natural references, allowing me to think through this in-between space. Ultimately, Hive asks us to consider how we interpret species communication and what it means to relate to a species other than our own. This work aims to place viewers in an unfamiliar situation in which they lack the context to interpret these luminescent structures. 

The sound in this project was created in Max MSP using sequencers, based on this tutorial by David Cooper. The pod structures are made of an inner vellum paper base that houses the electronic components, while the outer elements are thread and silicone.