Bread + Honey was an exhibition of twelve sculptural works made in collaboration between Italian artist Giorgia Mocilnik, natural beekeeper Honey Fingers and the European honeybee (Apis Mellifera). The works were made from bread and honeycomb. Bees build comb on and make nests in lots of unexpected places: wall cavities in houses; compost bins; service pits in footpaths; and apparently on baguettes, pretzels and dinner rolls.
With these twelve objects the artists have gently, but deliberately, tested the adaptability of these animal architects by placing bread in the hives for the bees to attach their comb to. The works highlight the intelligence of bees as architects; and the connection between bees and the food we eat. Wild and domestic honey bees carry out up to 80% of all pollination worldwide. Greenpeace USA estimates this as being one in every three bites of food we eat.
We are interested in people. Being interested in people means we are also interested in the objects people make and use. Throughout the ground floor of Hotel Hotel we had several glass cabinets that we used as small exhibition spaces. They were curated by invited curators, artists and designers. The cabinets were a study of human and natural life – artefacts that document our existence and tell a story about who ‘we’ are and what is important to us.