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Resonating Bodies

a series of integrated media installations and community outreach projects which focuses on biodiversity of pollinators indigenous to the natural and urban ecosystems of the Greater Toronto Area.

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Resonating Bodies’ projects illuminate aspects of Canada’s biodiversity through focusing on pollination ecology, with special attention paid to the intersection of native bees, habitat and coevolution of plants and pollinators of the Greater Toronto Area. Art installations and other activities reveal aspects of local biodiversity through investigating bumblebee colonies and their foraging activities, ultraviolet bee vision, pollinator/plant co-evolution, solitary bee and wasp nesting and life cycles, and colour-coded DNA barcodes (a novel new technique for species identification pioneered by Canadian researchers).

Resonating Bodies does not focus on honey bees or other bees non-native to North America. We recommend you first check out the Bee Biodiversity page to get familiar with our native bees, who don’t make honey or wax, don’t usually live in groups and don’t usually sting (much). All contents are listed at right.

Above: Agapostemon sericeus, Female (a sweat bee), courtesy Bee Tribes of the World (bugsrus, York University)

Banner: Colour-coded DNA barcode courtesy Barcode of Life Data Systems. Photos: Observation bee colony and view of gallery installation by Dave Kemp, Bombus impatiens and flower by Amro Zayed

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Resonating Bodies Audio Booth

Audio Bee Booth

The Audio Bee Booth is an amplified habitat installation for solitary bees.

Resonating Bodies - Pollination Wunder Station

Audio Bee Booth prototype in action (best viewed with headphones):

More info

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Solitary Odes

Odes to Solitary Bees

Video poems by Stephen Humphrey and Sarah Peebles

Wild, solitary-dwelling bees of Toronto create nests, manipulate pollen and hang out in the “Audio Bee Booth” and other amplified habitat structures. Macro video with micro audio!

More info

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Solitary Dream Homes (for bees)

A grass roots initiative for Toronto and beyond

Create your own, safe “bee house”, sculpture or other structure for wild, solitary-nesting bees and post it to our web gallery on Flickr!

More info

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Bee Plank and Deluxe Log (below) are works-in-progress.

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“Window Mini-Gallery” [2009] is a work-in-progress.

“Bumble Domicile” highlighted distinct features of bumble bees through an observation hive, garden, visual and audio transformations, scent, touch, and biological information. This installation / community outreach project featured works by Sarah Peebles, Rob King, Anne Barros and Robert Cruickshank created in collaboration with bee biologists and other researchers in Canada and the USA.

Bee Trading Cards were created as part of the Bumble Domicile show and were available in the gallery.

Series 1 Card 11 Front

The following video shows flowers that grow in a virtual garden triggered by choices made by real world bees in the observation bumble bee colony elsewhere in the gallery. The images were projected on the gallery wall during the Bumble Domicile.

Video: Rob King, Audio: Sarah Peebles

bees-cu

Photo: Rob Cruickshank

Credits

Resonating Bodies projects have developed in consulation and/or collaboration with biologists Laurence Packer (York University), James Thomson Lab – Jessamyn Manson and Michael Otterstatter (University of Toronto), Peter Hallett (University of Toronto and ROM), Peter Kevan (University of Guelph; CANPOLIN), and Stephen Buchmann (NAPPC/Pollinator Partnership, the University of Tucson, Drylands Institute). Artists, technicians and designers have included Sarah Peebles (project lead), Rob King, Anne Barros, Robert Cruickshank, Kevin Steele, Anneli West, Kat Cruickshank, Amro Zayed and Stephen Humphrey. ALL participants are listed at the bottom of the Art page.

Resonating Bodies projects have been generously supported by InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre, New Adventures in Sound Art, the Drylands Institute, NSERC-CANPOLIN, TD Friends of the Environment, The Canada Council for the Arts & the Ontario Arts Council through the Tree Museum, and, Franklin Children’s Garden and Dufferin Grove Park through the City of Toronto Parks and Recreation. Assisted also by Pollinator Partnership / NAPPC, Pollination Canada, The Barcode of Life Data Systems, The Toronto Zoo, and The Pollinator Garden Project.

Comments Off

  • "Resonating Bodies” is a series of integrated media installations, community outreach projects and educational initiatives which focuses on biodiversity of pollinators indigenous to the natural and urban ecosystems of Canada, with special focus on the city Toronto.

  • Most species of bees are solitary: they do not live in colonies, and do not make honey or beeswax. Learn more about biodiversity of Canada's bees and wasps.

  • Contents

    • Bee Biodiversity
    • The Art
      • Odes to Solitary Bees (2010 – 2011)
      • Amplified Habitat Installations for Wild Bees (2009 onward)
        • Audio Bee Booths
          • The Tree Museum (2011)
          • Greenway’s Nature Centre (2011)
          • The Calgary Zoo (2011)
          • Woodburned Prototype (2010-2011)
          • Inhabitants
        • Deluxe Log, Bee Plank (2010)
        • Window Mini-Gallery (2009)
        • Pollination Station–Algonquin Island (2009)
      • Bumble Domicile (2008)
        • Observation Bumble Bee Colony
        • Audio Transformations
        • Data Visualization
        • Electroformed Hive Offering Tray
        • Ultraviolet Video
        • Bee Trading Cards
          • Bee Trading Card Gallery
          • Bar-code Gallery
        • F.A.S.T. Flower Anther Swabbing Team
        • Artist Bios & Credits
      • Art and Ethics
    • Community
      • Pollinator Gardens
      • Pollinators Festival 2011, Toronto
      • Solitary Dream Homes (For Toronto Bees)
      • Toronto’s Wild Bees
      • Bee Houses Around the World
      • Pink Bee Condo – Up Close
      • Comments & Discussion
    • Resonating Bodies on YouTube
    • The Talks
    • Resources
      • About bees, habitat, and coevolution
      • Building Houses for Native Bees
      • About colour-coded DNA barcodes
      • Recommended videos, books, downloadable files & links
      • The Schmidt Sting Pain Index
  • Bumble Bee DNA: Detail of a bar code derived from the DNA of Bombus griseocollis. More about DNA Barcodes

  • pollinator.org Pollinator Partnership provides information on pollinator-habitat conservation, pollinator gardens, co- evolution and more. Pollinator Partnership is a tri-national organization; this site brings together information regarding Mexico, the United States and Canada.

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