In San Francisco, the stunning urban nature of the city beautifully coexists with unique outdoor artworks. Out of dozens of truly majestic sculptures that line of terraces of de Young museum in San Francisco, this particular one is stealing all the attention recently. It’s none other than this striking intersection of art and nature named “Exomind (Deep Water)” by Pierre Huyhges.
The one-of-a-kind sculpture is located in the Sculpture Garden of the museum. It’s a concrete sculpture that shows a woman crouching towards the ground. On her shoulders, there’s a brain-like hive, which is home to a colony of Italian bees. The posturing of this wonderful statue is influenced by a small statue sculpted by Japanese sculptor Tobari Kogan.
Over the past months, Marc Johnson has been breathing life into this magnificent sculpture. He is a member of the San Francisco Beekeepers Association and is also the lead beekeeper in this project. He has been taking care of the statue, making sure that the bees are alive and well. On June 24, 2001, Johnson removed the protective walls and opened the sculpture to the public.
The installment of a bee-hive on the sculpted woman’s brain is metaphorical. In fact, it highlights that if we care about the future of the earth, humankind, and all other forms of life on it, protecting the bees should be a priority.
According to Marc Johnson, this colony of bees is tended very well. When the sculpture is boxed up for moving, cameras monitor the bees constantly. This is to ensure that they are safe and healthy. However, unfortunately, the fate of the rest of the bee population across California is quite different. They suffer intense stress from various reasons including parasites, pesticides, air pollution, worsening droughts, and habitat loss.
Climate change is another major problem. As the world is getting warmer, maintaining the internal temperatures of bee hives between 93 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit is becoming harder. If this temperature somehow exceeds 110 degrees Fahrenheit, bees will be unable to fly.
The curators of this exhibit hope that it inspires people to be more conscious about other living creatures. They also hope to share the message that all components of nature depend on each other and that the destruction of one brings the destruction of all. So, check out the images above and share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Image credits: @deyoungmuseum / Instagram
