Colony Collapse Disorder, the mysterious disappearance of bees, has been widely reported. I have found many theories why this might be happening, but no concrete answers. I’m not sure anyone really knows for sure, but we can take some educated guesses. It’s possible that we have introduced various chemicals and toxins to the landscape are affecting these smallest of creatures. Remedying the situation is more complicated than it might seem. “Lost Colony” addresses this complication.
“Lost Colony” is a hive of bees. The bees were created with pages of the environmental laws that set forth the procedure for cleaning up our toxic waste sites. These laws are known as “RCRA” and “CERCLA.” They are so complicated that some attorneys spend their entire careers specializing in litigating and interpreting only small portions of these laws. The hive in “Lost Colony” is made with pages of Civil Procedure. These are the laws that govern the way lawsuits move through the court system.
Complicated laws moving through a complicated court system. Is it any wonder Superfund Cleanup lawsuits flounder in the Court system for decades? Hopefully, the Bees have that much time.
Process:
This piece is a variation of Verre églomisé, from the French term meaning glass gilded, is a process where the backside of the glass is gilded with gold or metal leaf. Once the glass has been gilded, designs are engraved and layers of color are added.
In “Lost Colony,” copper strips were applied first to the back of the glass to create the structure of the honeycomb. Next, variegated copper leaf was applied to represent honey. Some of the gilding was removed to create organic lines contrasting against the structure of the honeycomb. Next, the bees were applied to the reverse of the glass, each one looking at the next. Finally, the rest of the honeycomb was finished with pages of procedural law books.
The entire piece was created by combining leafing, collage and reverse painting on glass.
