Resonating Bodies is a series of mixed media installations and community outreach projects which focuses on biodiversity of pollinators indigenous to the natural and urban ecosystems of the Greater Toronto Area.
Conceived by Sarah Peebles in collaboration with a number of artists in various disciplines and with several Canadian and American bee biologists and researchers, the installations illuminate aspects of local biodiversity such as bumblebee colonies and their foraging activities, ultraviolet bee vision, pollinator/plant co-evolution, solitary bee and wasp nesting life/life cycles, and colour-coded DNA barcodes (a novel new technique for species identification pioneered by Canadian researchers).
Resonating Bodies coincides with the release of Toronto’s first guide to native bees, “A Guide to Toronto’s Pollinators”, by Laurence Packer, Professor of Biology at York University (published by the David Suzuki Foundation). The theme of the booklet — some 23 genera of bees found in Toronto — is woven into the fabric of the project on several levels, with talks on related topics by collaborating researchers Laurence Packer, Jessamyn Manson, Peter Hallett and Stephen Buchman.
The two installments of the project, Bumble Domicile [2008] and Nest Wall [2009-2010], highlight distinct features of bumble bees (which are social) and of solitary bees and wasps through observation of the physical world, visual and audio transformations, scent, touch and genetic and other biological information.
Artists to date include Rob King, Rob Cruickshank and Anne Barros, with assistance also from Kevin Steele, Anneli West, Gene Threndyl, Michele Bakic and the Flower Anther Swabbing Team, and Kat Cruickshank. Researchers to date include Laurence Packer (York University), Jessamyn Manson (University of Toronto), Peter Hallett (University of Toronto, the ROM) and Stephen Buchman (University of Tuscon, Drylands Institute, Pollinator Parnership).
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