Exhibition to explore the importance of bees

The importance of bees to humanity will be explored in a new art exhibition which opens today (Friday, February 21) at Geelong’s Platform Arts.

Spanning farming, food, arts and education, Honey Fingers Collective features collaborative artworks from humans and bees.

Visitors will be able to catch a glimpse of ceramics made by Zhu-Ohmu that have been repaired or modified by bees.

Damaged vessels have been reconfigured as edible honeycomb installations, while damaged pots have been repaired with propolis.

Durational food and drink fermentations will take place throughout the exhibition, while visitors can also get up close and personal with a live bee chimney (behind perspex).

Exhibition founder and Otway-based beekeeper Nicholas Dowse said the explored exhibition outcomes would be surprising to visitors.

“Not widely known is that honeybees ferment their food.

“Bees collect pollen, inoculate it with microbes from their hive, mix it with honey and saliva, and store it in honeycomb cells as ‘bee bread’ for future use.

“This is particularly critical during winter, when floral resources are scarce, as bee bread provides a vital food source for the colony and its developing brood.”

The involvement of lactobacillus bacteria in fermenting the pollen is the same used by humans to inoculate and ferment sourdough starters.

With an inoculation oven, beekeepers can draw upon the microbiome of the beehive to inoculate sourdough.

“We propose to bake and share [this] with the community, fostering a dialogue around human and non-human life forms – including the microbiomes that thrive in beehives, human bodies, and the bread we share.”

The exhibition will start with a free opening event at Platform Arts tonight from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.

Honey Fingers Collective will run until April 17, and entry is free.

There will also be ticketed events and workshops.