Individual bees are not conscious but the swarm is
Reproduction of image restricted by copyright
-
About the work
- Location
-
Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection
This digital C-type print showing a swarm of bees gathered around a honeycomb is a still from a video by Suki Chan. Titled 'CONSCIOUS', it explores the future of our individual and collective consciousness, weaving a narrative through the secret lives of bees, humans and artificial intelligence. The multi-platform project brings together the diverse, subjective perspectives of scientists and ordinary people, whose stories unwrap layers of thinking and preconceptions about individual and collective consciousness. It touches on topics such as fear, oblivion and dementia.For this Arts Council funded project she worked in partnership with the Centre for Developmental Neurobiology (King’s College, London), The Swarm Awareness and DioDe projects, Sheffield Robotics, Department of Computer Science (University of Sheffield). -
About the artist
Suki Chan is a London based film director and artist. Her films take audiences on an immersive journey, and shine a light on subjects that are under-represented across the human condition: from dementia, sight-loss, identity to belonging. Chan's practice sits at the intersection of art and science and features dialogues with diverse communities from people living with dementia, blind and partially sighted people, meditators, to psychologists and neuroscientists. Chan seeks out narratives that explore alternative ways of looking at the world and stories that challenge and destabilise our understanding of perception and reality. Her research partners include the Centre for Developmental Neurobiology (King’s College, London), Swarm Awareness Project (The University of Sheffield) and Centre for the Study of the Senses (University of London). In 2020 Chan was awarded Film London's FLAMIN Productions, a major moving image artist award committed to nurturing talent and supporting innovative artists in their professional growth, supported by Arts Council England. She was also granted a bursary from Screenskills to develop new skills in VR.
-
Explore
- Places
- Subjects
- insects & lower animals, bee, hive, honey
- Materials & Techniques
- paper (as artists material), Fujicolour Crystal Archive paper, digital print
-
Details
- Artist
-
Suki Chan (1977 - )
- Title
- Individual bees are not conscious but the swarm is
- Date
- 2021
- Medium
- Digital C-type print
- Dimensions
- height: 107.2 cm; width: 154.4 cm; depth: 5.5 cm
- Acquisition
- Purchased from Danielle Arnaud Gallery, July 2022
- Provenance
- Danielle Arnaud Gallery, London UK; from whom purchased by UK Government Art Collection, 14 July 2022
- GAC number
- 19101