Beatrix's Brief

Bees: an interactive installation comprised of hexagonal columns that aims to bring awareness to Colony Collapse Disorder and how much humanity depends on bee pollinators. 

Since 2006, bees have been dying off from CCD due to harmful pesticides marketed as “safe” and “non-toxic”. Bees pollinate at least 30 percent of the world’s crops— the larger majority being fruits and vegetables full of nutrition and vitamins necessary for humanity’s survival. The installation seeks to bring awareness to this epidemic. Bees is composed of a number of small hexagonal columns, each representing a certain year (2006-present). Each column’s height shows how many bees were lost in that year—  every inch represents 2% of bees lost from CCD. For example, if 2006 lost 30% of bees, it would be 15 inches tall. 

Each box has a hinged door on the top, and inside of it are LEDs, placed to exaggerate the height or shortness of the column. Each box has a lid to hide the light, and when opened, the lid has the year and percentage engraved into it. This installation is designed to be placed in a dark room, with a pathway that has columns on both sides with closed lids, so that viewers of the exhibit can walk around and open the boxes and lighten up the room. Additionally, every column has two layers of siding: the main structure, lightly sprayed painted black, and the combs, an array of hexagonal holes spray painted yellow to add texture and color. By informing the public with statistics and displaying the extreme ongoing loss of bees, this installation hopes to inspire others to look further into how they can preserve bees- and humanity.

Christian's Brief

Bees is a project that aims to raise awareness about pesticides that are killing the planet's bees. The project is comprised of different sized honeycombs placed on the ground with tops that represent a year and a written percentage of bees lost during that time period.

The Bees project is an installation specifically designed for raising awareness about the pesticides that are harming the earth's bee population. The project aims to inform people of what is really at stake if the bee population begins to dwindle. There are different sized honeycombs representing the number of bees that have been killed by the pesticides each year. This is a project made for everyone to view, enjoy, and learn from. Utilizing height and raw data as a form of representation, the installation provides a look into reality, showing people just how many bees are lost each year. By simply looking at the installation, the viewer will gain a greater understanding of the situation our bees are in, and what the outcome will be if we don't stop it. 

A Cold Homecoming: An installation that highlights the overwhelming number of homeless veterans in the United States. Instead of having a monument to veterans by depicting them fighting in wars, this counter monument shows the difference between a soldier fighting in the war and a veteran fighting homelessness.

This counter monument aims to address the developing epidemic of homeless veterans in America. It is estimated that between 130,000 and 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night, consisting of between 20% and 25% of all homeless individuals. Female veterans, veterans with mental and physical disabilities, and veterans returning from current wars have higher rates of becoming homeless. These statistics show the lack of support many veterans receive after returning from combat. A Cold Homecoming depicts two figures: a soldier resting during a battle holding their rifle with a helmet on top, and the other a homeless person slumped over holding a sign that says "Homeless Vet". These two figures are the same person at different points in time.

A key aspect of this monument is the interaction between the two figures. At first, the figures will be back to back, but when activated by a user through pushing rods on each side of the monument, the figures will phase through each other to become face to face. The figures will be consisted of sliced pieces to create a three-dimensional figure. This movement allows the soldier to face their future and demonstrates to the audience  the cold reality of what veterans face when they return home.

Framed Woman: An installation that provides commentary on unrealistic gender expectations and the truth of the construction of gender in society. The installation is a frame cut out of a woman's portrait in the 1800s, which provides insight as to when these gender norms originated, and why they need to end.

When people learn about history, the only visual aspect that they are exposed to is through photographs and paintings. As time goes on, society is constantly exposed and catering to the gender norms that were created hundreds of years ago. Therefore, the construct of gender in society continues to be pervasive and oppressive. This installation emphasizes that society needs to see that people do not need to identify or present themselves as one specific label. Through the utilization of a portrait photograph of a royal woman in the 1800s, the audience is forced to attempt to fit into this preconceived idea of what a woman should look like. Not only does this expose how unrealistic these gender expectations are, but it questions the role of gender as a whole in society.