Comments on: STUDIO LIBERTINY’S VASE MADE BY BEES

By: xC0000005

xC0000005 — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:15:07 +0000

Looks like he made the form from wax foundation then let the bees draw it out. Very creative.

By: Peter Coyle

Peter Coyle — Thu, 24 May 2007 16:05:11 +0000

These pictures bring to life the absolute wonder of nature and show us a first hand example of the wonder of creation only possible through an INTELIGENT CREATOR..

By: charles faris

charles faris — Thu, 24 May 2007 13:21:01 +0000

actually this is quite beautiful because there is no difference between the making of the vase and the typical way that bees are raised in this country, ie. there is nothing natural about it! the honeycomb frame that the typical professional beekeepers use is larger than the honeycomb that bees would naturally make by themselves, or that most (if not all) of the organic beekeepers will use, and as a result the bees in commercial hives grow to be 50% larger than their wild and organic cousins. they are fed sugarwater and antiobotics, and their hives are sprayed with pesticides to kill varroa mites. on top of that these bees get trucked all over kingdom come to serve as pollinating agents.

and then we are left with this beautiful empty hive. so it’s great that design can bma. and it’s great that design can tell a story. and what story is it going to tell? the story of a system that amnipulates and controls the natural world for its own desires regardless of how it rends the web of life? it would be great if design could actually support and sustain a meaningful life.

By: Just call me Honey!

Just call me Honey! — Mon, 07 May 2007 04:40:10 +0000

I am a bee who worked on the project. Don’t you have busier things to do?

I agree with the designer of the project

Bzzzz! BZzz.

By: Libertiny

Libertiny — Tue, 01 May 2007 22:20:29 +0000

Dear ALL,

I am the author of this project.

First, I would like to thank all of you for your comments (positive and negative). I feel that i need to say few words. First, to some pesimistic and oversensitive reactions. No bees died other then by natural causes (they live only 42 days) and that they have not been slaved or exploited. They happend to participate on building a structure that they do know the best and they do all the time. After removal of a vase a new honeycomb frame has been inserted in the beehive to compensate for the effort. The colony has not been displaced or anything like that. We colaborated with beekeepers who love their bees and would object to any mistreating.

Second, this is an art piece and a limited edition. This project is part of a bigger concept that our studio develops as a design haute couture collection. We develop experimental but visionary projects that comment design and our material culture. This made by bees project is still being developed. Even more exciting stuff will follow …

If you have further questions please feel free to contact us.

Libertiny

Thanks to Kim Flottum

By: smachdesign

smachdesign — Tue, 01 May 2007 20:21:26 +0000

So what is next? Silk worms in a shirt shaped cage? Maybe this is a kick-off to Micro-organisms creating cast production parts with elaborate inner structures. Okay, the plight of bumblebee has struck some heartstrings regardless this does no more damage to the bees than your average beekeeper or your aver-age bear… eh Booboo? Don’t put the cart in front of the horse right now its just concept meant to stir ideas…enjoy it. Think of ways to make it better, (for the bees or the concept). Be constructive and pro-active that breed progress. Defer judgement.

By: eduard

eduard — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 00:26:22 +0000

honey comb home

By: Jac

Jac — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 01:55:32 +0000

I really hope this is a one-off thing, if his statement holds true. And that bee colony have their prize for this huge effort, a pesticide-free orchard.

By: Darci

Darci — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:11:04 +0000

I agree that I hope that the artists of this piece are donating at least a % of their sales to the preservation of bees and the fight for stringent organic standards etc. Here are some resources for any of you who would like to help the plight of the bees – i know i want to. Thanks to Kim at Bee Culture for helping me find these.

Xerces Society works to protect bees: http://www.xerces.org
Status Of Pollinators In The U.S. – http://www.nap.edu
American Beekeeping Federation – http://www.abfnet.net
Eastern Apicultural Society – http://www.easternapicultue.org
Among others….
Almost every county and state has a beekeeping association that works to protect bees and beekeeping, and train beekeepers in the correct way to keep bees and inform the public about the positive aspects of pollination and honey bees…you can find these on our web site below at the Who’s Who link.

Kim Flottum
Editor, BeeCulture
http://www.BeeCulture.com

By: racheblue

racheblue — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 04:49:49 +0000

As a one-off piece of art that speaks to us about conceptions of design and invites discussion about our perceived role in nature (do we see ourselves as part of nature or apart from it?) and what is more valuable nature’s fragile art that we predominately take for granted or man-made art that we often rever with little thought for the implications of it’s design on the planet – I like this vase.
As a possible manufacturing process I find it distasteful but I don’t think (hope) this was the artist’s intent.

By: Arlington Acid

Arlington Acid — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 22:47:32 +0000

Re: bee die-off. The culprit is likely to be genetically modified foodstuffs that have pesticides and/or herbicides built-in. The bees are our “canary in a coal mine” and should give pause to those who are so cavalier about the production of these monstrosities. Splicing insecticides into a plant’s DNA has no similarity to natural selection or artificial breeding techniques, despite what well paid chemical company representatives might tell you. Eating pesticides is generally not a healthy routine, for man or bee.

By: David

David — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:32:06 +0000

The cellphone comment has been discredited (the study was on the effect of electromagnetic fields in general), although pesticides are undoubtedly damaging bee populations (if they can kill hardier things, why not bees). The honeycomb vase is a typical product of contemporary design culture — it is incredibly clever, and required minimal effort on the part of the designer. I hope the bees have a massively tricked-out hive somewhere in a thriving orchard now.

By: E

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:55:59 +0000

would LOVE to purchase one….gimme details please?
Thank you

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:58:32 +0000

Unfortunately, Richie, abstaining from eating honey isn’t going to solve the problem. It’s not because we eat honey that they’re dying — most research/theories suggest it’s a combination of several potential factors including radiation from our cell phones (who here is going to give up their cell phone to save the bees?), industrial agricultural pesticides, genetic modification of crops, monoculture, and some kind of parasite/virus. But it’s true that whatever the cause, the result could be a massive disruption to our food supply. This is one of those things that people overlook and underestimate because they think “it’s just bees.” But it’s not just about bees, it’s about food security and the continued functioning of our agricultural system.

By: Never teh Bride

Never teh Bride — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:46:27 +0000

It’s bumming me out that Richie’s right, but he’s right. I can’t say that I don’t think that a comb vase is a lovely thing. In this case, the bees were just doing what bees do best, but I do wonder what happened to those bees once the vase was formed. Displaced bees are likely unhappy bees.