A new exhibition featuring creative collaboration between humans and bees opens today at Platform Arts in Geelong.
The Honey Fingers Collective is a group of artists, food artisans and bees exploring beekeeping, fermentation, fine art, ceramics and education and research organised around the central theme of the honeybee, Apis mellifera.
The collective’s Geelong exhibition will feature human- and bee-made projects, including ceramics created by artists and repaired or modified by bees and exhibits focused on fermented products such as ‘bee bread’, which is made from sourdough starter inoculated by the hive microbiome.
Honey Fingers Collective founder, Otways-based beekeeper Nicholas Dowse, said the fact bees fermented their food was not widely known.
“Bees collect pollen, inoculate it with microbes from their hive, mix it with honey and saliva, and store it in honeycomb cells as ‘bee bread’ for future use,” Mr Dowse said.
“This is particularly critical during winter, when floral resources are scarce, as bee bread provides a vital food source for the colony and its developing brood.
“A remarkable aspect of this natural process is the involvement of Lactobacillus bacteria in fermenting pollen—the same bacteria humans use to inoculate and ferment sourdough starters.
“With the Inoculation Oven, we draw upon the microbiome of the beehive to inoculate sourdough, which we propose to bake and share with the community, fostering a dialogue around human and non-human life forms—including the microbiomes that thrive in beehives, human bodies, and the bread we share.”
The Honey Fingers exhibition runs from today (Friday, February 21) to Thursday, April 17, with the free opening event on tonight from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.
