Danville, VA, August 14, 2016 – Danville Museum of Fine Art and History installation the LIVING HIVE, an exhibit by artist Elsabé Dixon in collaboration with Germán Perilla, the Director of the GMU Bee Initiatives Program at George Mason University. This project traces an expansive multidisciplinary collaboration addressing Art; Apiary Practice; Agriculture; Science; Social Interaction and Technology. Made possible through a Tier 1 Multidisciplinary grant from the George Mason University’s Provost Office, Dixon’s remediative sculptural environment is designed as an ecological platform where, the issues surrounding pollinators can be discussed, and observed by the public, scientists, academics and ecologists. The LIVING HIVE, as a collaboration of science, art and the agricultural practice of apiculture, traces and maps the activity of bees on a modular sculpture (resembling microscopic images of pollen), during the months of May through July, 2016. This exhibition will connect the underpinnings of Elsabé Dixon’s earlier work with silkworms (Bombyx Mori) on yellow pollen shapes and the initial drawings produced for the production of the Living Hive sculpture, as well as the prints produced during the GMU OFF THE WALL event in the spring of 2016. Drawing is a consistent part of Dixon’s practice and plays a vital role in the conceptual underpinning of the Living Hive project.
