‘Bees as architects’ is the starting point for the work with wax and propolis. Bees can be seen as living 3D printers that reach an extreme grade of mathematical perfection when building a honeycomb. Through the centuries physics and mathematicians have wondered how a bee colony reaches this result. We want to take up the challenge to work just as constructive with 3D printers and organic materials such as chitosan, sugar, propolis or wax, to make artistic objects inspired by the bees’ work.

It is not the intention to perform purely technological research but rather to broach new possibilities that are not yet realizable via artistic creativity and to thus stimulate technological inventiveness. We also want to give spectators completely new experiences in relation to the goings on of bee colonies and in this way raise awareness for sustainable development. This artistic research will also be integrated in the already existing series of new artistic observation beehives such as the Transparent Beehive, the Sound Beehive, and the Scaffolded Beehive which each introduce living bee colonies in new ways to the public.