Susan Hauri-Downing ecoartist

An Art Exhibition with Community Engagement

Bee Poiesis explores the relationships between wild bees, honey bees, plants and humans. It engages with the global bee crisis and loss of biological diversity that we are currently experiencing, through the poetics and aesthetics of human/bee/plant interactions and communications.I am particularly concerned with the biocultural issues surrounding local wild bees, pollination plants, and the effects of various bee diseases and breeding programs on honey bee colony management. As a newly trained beekeeper, artist and citizen of Switzerland and Australia, Bee Poiesis is my response to these concerns and includes an exhibition of mixed media artworks, a public talk series by local, national and inter-national speakers, and artist workshops for school children.

Over the last decade significant honey bee colony losses have occurred across the globe. Honey bees play an important agricultural role in pollination, providing fruit and vegetables for human consumption, as well as feed for meat and dairy cattle. In response to concerns about bee decline and its effect on agriculture, more and more non-beekeepers are actively interested in keeping bees. The public focus on honey bees (Apis mellifera) and increasing urbanisation means that the significant roles of wild bees in maintaining biodiversity in our local ecologies are often overlooked. Bee Poiesis provides a meeting space for diverse groups - beekeepers, artists, scientists, local food producers, people passionate about biodiversity, school children, and in fact anyone passionate about all bees and their vital roles in our communities.



Opening Friday, 31 October 2014, 6-9pm

Exhibition 1 to 9 November 2014
Müllerhaus Gallery, Lenzburg
11am to 9pm daily

Closing Sunday, 9 November 2014, 2-5pm



Vernissage Fr. 31. Oktober 2014, 18.00 Uhr

Ausstellung Sa. 1. November bis So. 9. November 2014
Müllerhaus Gallery, Bleicherain 7, Lenzburg
Geöffnet jeweils 11 bis 21 Uhr

Finnissage So. 9. November 2014, 14.00 Uhr

Flyer

Bee Poiesis Public Talk Series

These talks facilitate dialogue between the public, beekeepers, scientists and community experts about biodiversity, Swiss wild bees, and local and global beekeeping, issues that are explored through the artworks exhibited in Bee Poeisis.

Friday, 31.10.2014
19:30 Uhr
Challenges facing the honey bee today
Dr. Barbara Baer-Imhoof, Researcher, Outreach & Laboratory Manager, Centre for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER), University of Western Australia (featured in the documentary "More Than Honey" directed by Academy Award winner Markus Imhoof).
Sunday, 02.11.2014
14:00 Uhr
Wild bees
Dr. Andreas Müller, Curator of the Entomology Collection, ETH.
Tuesday, 04.11.2014
19:30 Uhr
What is bee-friendly beekeeping?
Gerhard Fasolin, Beekeeper and President of Verein bienenschwarm.ch, Schafisheim.
Thursday, 06.11.2014
19:30 Uhr
Come with us "down under" to West Australia
Dr Barbara Baer-Imhoof discusses the latest research into mechanisms of sexual reproduction in honey bees. Presented by Bienenzüchterverein Aargauisches Seetal.
=> im Saal der Stiftung für Behinderte, Tiliastrasse 2 , 5600 Lenzburg
Türöffnung 19:00 Uhr
Sunday, 09.11.2014
14:00 Uhr
Biodiversity in Lenzburg
Sarah Locher, Natur- und Vogelschutzverein Lenzburg.


Support Bee Poiesis even if you cant make it to the exhibition!

I have launched a crowd funding campaign to offer a space for people to support me. You can check out the campaign here:

Pozible

There are lots of rewards, including bee stickers, original drawings and photos, 'b'-shirts and a unique glass-etched Swiss beehive window. For those of you who aren't familiar with crowd funding Pozible is an 'all or nothing' campaign, so if I don't reach my target I don't receive any funding. This means your pledge is only committed if the campaign reaches its target. Even if you can't afford to donate, please share the link with anyone who you think may be interested.

Bee Poiesis has been made possible with the generous support of:

Logo

CIBER
Centre for Integrative Bee Research, UWA


To support The Future Bees Fund and the Centre for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER) to safeguard the future for bees, their pollination services and our food security through research, beekeeping and outreach activities, click here:

www.futurebees.org