Lillian Whitaker
Ill-Fated (2020)
Sculptural Installation: Bees-wax sculpture and handwritten paper notes
Dimensions variable
Ill-Fated (2020) is a sculptural work which accumulates elements of ephemeral beeswax sculpture, handwritten field-notes and drawn diagrams whilst embracing an artifactual museum-style curation. This particular work represents a sculptural interpretation of three deadly bee viruses. Ill-Fated emphasises the precarious nature of these viruses through the employment of beeswax as an ephemeral material. A particular irony is symbolised where bees are employed to build their own fatal virion structures; structures which they cannot begin to analyse or comprehend themselves. This invites a curious study into the ingrained programming of bee behaviour.These concepts are further integrated into the work by displaying it as a scientific artefact for viewers to examine carefully. The inclusion of field-notes emphasises the investigative characteristics of the work and also contributes to the informative and scientific nature of this piece. Similarly to Eco-Instinct, this particular work holds an immense emphasis on process. This process indicates a symbiosis between myself, as the artist, and bees, as both the subjects and engineers. Ill-Fated's process challenges Anthropocentric theories through a respectful collaboration between specimens, allowing me to exhibit a duality between science/art integration and environmentalism.