PUBLIC ART COMMISSION, ORANGE
A unique clock, installed at the entrance to Civic Theatre, inviting audiences to reimagine time.
Eastern Standard Time (EST) was a hard-fought imperative of the 19th century linking diverse geographies around a standard set of increments convenient for trade. This form of time, which is now considered time itself, was layered over other approaches that were local, specific, seasonal, and non-linear.
Dancing with Bees will focus on bees from the Orange region whose rhythms of life secure food production. In collaboration with the Department of Primary Industries Orange high resolution images of pollinators will be photographed to form one face of the clock; one pollinator will rotate 360 degrees each hour, highlighting 12 different bees whose survival is bound up with ours. The minutes will be marked by dancers who will interpret the specific look, colour or movements of the pollinators. Bees talk to each other by dancing, the inclusion of dancers will highlight this astonishing fact and invite audiences to think about what else we can learn from the natural world.
The clock will be functional but deciphering it will encourage deep thinking about time.
A partnership between Zanny Begg, Orange Regional Gallery and Orange City Council. Funded by Create NSW, Australia Council for the Arts and Orange City Council.
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