Bees, declared the most important species on Earth, have become a symbol for the climate crisis. The health of global bee populations is inextricably linked to the stability of all land-based ecosystems. Their plight as a species has become iconic of this critical moment in our relationship with the planet.
Bee Totem, an installation by artist ONEJESSA, peacefully captivates audiences and asks them to consider the critical junction at which we stand in our relationship with both natural and technological environments. It reminds us that their future is in our hands.
The art installation consists of hundreds of bees, ethically collected after death from local beekeepers in Australia, entombed in orbs or resin. The orbs are suspended, seeming to float in space. The work appears to not only be alive, but in flight. This visually arresting piece is the manifestation of a long meditative ritual, in reverence to bees and their guardianship of the planet’s natural systems. The precise execution of its uniformity creates the illusion of a digital object engineered through technological means. Yet it is made by the eye and hand of one person. Entirely analogue and improvised, never calculated. Each decision and placement made in visceral response to the last.
Bee Totem becomes part of its environment. It breathes with the movement of the air, moves with the sound waves generated by its audience, and transforms in the shifting light of the day. Bee Totem only exists in its interaction with the environment that holds it.
About ONEJESSA:
ONEJESSA (Jess Bush) builds interventions that inspire curiosity, tenderness, and wonder. Through her repeated actions, she meticulously saturates and dislodges iconic objects from their place in our shared cultural understanding. She leaves audiences questioning their relationship to something that once felt fundamental.
In recent years, Jess has established a presence and voice in the realm of the American Space Industry. She has spoken on panels at NASA and has had her writing published in SpaceNews, on the importance of art in supporting, nourishing, and reflecting the positive evolution of human consciousness towards greater care for planet Earth.