For this assignment we were working with lost-wax aluminum casting, and the theme was to make something based on a headline.  My project focuses on the "bee problem," also known as Colony Collapse Disorder.  Recently, there has been much concern over this and "Save the Bee" campaigns have been spreading.

I transformed the structure that houses bees- the honeycomb- to create a public educational facility and viewing pavilion. I took a hexagon, the basic geometric shape that comprises a honeycomb, and manipulated it in both the 2nd and 3rd dimensions.  This manipulation of the hexagon, and in turn the honeycomb, reflects the chaos and disorder of colony collapse.  Subsequently, what is created is a mutated honeycomb.

Each of the "cells" of the honeycomb is a learning and interactive space.  The public can find out what Colony Collapse is, how it is caused, the significance of it, and what contributions bees provide to humans.  The structure could be located in a number of areas, reflecting the impact bees have all over the globe.  It could be in the city, where goods that bees help pollinate are transported.  It could be in open country, where affluent people have reserved land for bee sanctuaries.  It could be located on a bee farm, which could be in the city or the country.  The countless possibilities for manipulating the honeycomb could be a direct reflection of how important bees are to the earth and humans, and how Colony Collapse has regressed or progressed.  This project has the possibility for evolution and expansion.