The Future of Apis Mellifera
Dehydrated honey, 3D printed, 2015
Approx. 200 × 50 × 10 cm
The Future of Apis Mellifera was a site-specific installation created for Collect Open at Saatchi Gallery London, 2015, responding to the decline of honeybee populations and their relationship with industrial agriculture.
At its centre was an edible relief sculpture made from dehydrated honey using 3D printing, combining traditional jewellery chains and ornaments with forms suggestive of food chains. The sculpture rested on a tomb-like plinth inscribed with crops dependent on bee pollination, while a gold-plated container held rare honey samples from around the world — preserved as speculative relics of a future in which bees might no longer exist.
Throughout the fair, the installation remained protected beneath glass. On the final day, visitors were invited to touch, dismantle and eat the sculpture, gradually transforming the work through their participation.
Photography: Theo Cohen
