Maps

I've spent a while now developing / designing the maps of YSP showing all my bee records for the summer. I've had to go back through my note book and decipher my writing, which isn't neat at the best of times. When i was out surveying YSP looking for bees I would take with me a net to catch the bees; a small glass tube to look at them; camera; magnifying lens; ID book; specimen jars; bottle of water; notebook and pens (and various other tat). I tried to record all the species I found and make a note of location and also what plants they were feeding on. But, now i'm going back through my notebook i'm having to remember the code i used.

I'm also still attending the BBKA beekeeping course. I missed one on the beekeeping year, but the last two sessions have been on queens and swarming and have been really interesting. The more i go though, i know i'll not become a beekeeper myself.

Printing

I've started in the print rooms at Uclan. I'm printing views of Yorkshire Sculpture Park in b&w so i can overlay an impression of how the blue and yellow meadows could look.
So, with the help of Magda i did some test prints the other day to try grades of colour and also try out different sizes of dots in the print. The different tests are now on my wall so i can choose which to go with.

On another note, i just finished a wonderful book about insects Insectopedia by Hugh Raffles. One of the chapters Language is about the work of Karl von Frisch and his life-long research about bees. I was recommended the book by a friend Anny and it was one of the most fascinating books i've read for ages - chapters on Chinese cricket fighting, crush fetishists, the traditions of beetle selling and collecting in Japan - i loved this book.

Sound Links

For all of last week i was transcribing bee sound recordings on to paper. I collected the recordings over the summer at the YSP hives. I've loved drawing all week - over layering lines and lines of noise.

I got an email from my friend David today with a link to a website about bee recordings:
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/10/music-made-with-bees-free-sample-set-and-why-you-should-care/
Plus, i've been listening to extracts from the recordings of sound artist Francisco Lopez - absolutely amazing, intense sounds. It's been mentioned that he has used the recordings of bees, although i'm yet to find the exact work. You can listen to extracts of his work in the discography section of his website:
http://www.franciscolopez.net/index.html

Also - please read this little story about a Mellotron (a keyboard instrument manufactured in the 60s and 70s that uses pre-recorded tape as its sound source) and the use of recordings of bumblebees by Gaby Stenberg.
http://www.roth-handle.nu/instruments/replay_mellotron400_563.htm
then watch this video of someone playing the sounds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrtGp6LnNhc

New Phase

I'm into a new phase of the Bee Project - with there being no bees around for the winter (apart from a few honey bees feeding on the ivy on occasional sunny days).

I'm not based at YSP any more and am now spending all my time sifting through all the research, developing ideas and trying stuff out ready for the exhibition in April next year.

I am also still attending beekeeping classes in a church hall at the other side of the city - the electric sockets weren't working in the last session so our teacher couldn't show us her powerpoint presentation and instead had to resort to telling us about the history of beekeeping through the medium of dance. It was enthralling. And the karate class were on half term so i could concentrate for the whole 2 hours.