endless summer : research
Artistic research project / media and object installation
Abstract, artificial flower objects (monochrome), modular object fields, documentation material (observation protocols, data collection, visual analysis), natural actors: bees (as part of the system, not as material in the classical sense), since 2023
About the Work
In this artistic research project, Michaela Hanemann investigates how non-human perception responds to abstract forms. The starting point is the idea that aesthetic evaluation and selection are not exclusively human abilities, but can also be observed in other life forms as behavior, preference, or repetition.
The project is based on the work "endless summer" and combines artistic practice with scientifically oriented methods. Under the most comparable conditions possible, several monochrome fields of abstract, artificial flower objects are created. The form, color, and arrangement of the objects are deliberately varied without specifying functional differences for the bees. The experimental setup is designed to keep external influencing factors as constant as possible and to enable repeatable observations.
At the center are two theses:
Thesis 1: Bees respond positively to abstract forms.
Thesis 2: Bees respond recognizably differently to abstract forms.
In a second step, continuous monitoring takes place. The artist observes the behavior of the bees in the individual fields and records the number of visits per object type. This data is evaluated and presented as part of the work. It does not serve as scientific proof, but as artistic knowledge material that makes perception visible without defining it conclusively.
Historically, the project can be classified in the tradition of artistic research, conceptual art, and bioart, which have integrated scientific methods into the artistic process since the 20th century. At the same time, it reflects current discourses on the relationship between humans, animals, and the environment, as well as on the limits of human interpretive authority.
In a time of ecological upheaval and growing sensitivity to more-than-human perspectives, the project shifts the focus from human standards to other forms of attention. It opens up a space in which perception is not evaluated but observed, and in which art appears as a method of questioning, organizing, and making visible.
Documentation
A dedicated accompanying website with extensive documentation is available for the project.
research.endless-summer-project.com
Exhibitions
Technical Requirements / Exhibition Conditions
