Andrea Cavallari: Arnia

Arnia presents an extremely disruptive yet symbolic act: a glass case enclosing an empty bee hive, with the audience engulfed by the dark, desperate and deafening roar of the ghosts of 50,000 bees.

The humming caused by the rapid beating of bees’ wings has been said to have a vibrational frequency similar to a note believed to be the basis of the whole system of Western music. The same note is present in ancient Greek and Egyptian musical instruments as well as Tibetan singing bowls, and also recalls the classic OM.

In the installation, this archaic noise fills the space with an alienating sense of restlessness, and envelopes visitors in an almost mystical state, where they begin to question the dangers of “progress”, made with no regard to nature’s reaction. Visitors confront a reality that is slowly being destroyed, evidenced by the gradual disappearance of bees from eco-systems around the world.