Individual bees are not conscious but the swarm is

Suki Chan (1977 - )

Digital C-type print

2021

Share this:

License this image

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