Umwelt of the bee
The indifference towards the overall collapse of our biodiversity and the decline of the bee may rely, in one way, on the fact that humans have very little empathy towards insects. There is, in fact, a real misconception about what social insects are and how they think. Indeed, we often believe that insects are intelligent as a group. And yet, they have an intelligence of their own.
To illustrate it, we have worked on describing through an “Umwelt”[1], ergo at the first person, the activity of a bee. This text was written and later evaluated, word by word, by Fanny Rybak, biologist and researcher at the french CRNS institute, specialized in inter-species communication.
Recorded, it was first broadcasted in its French version during “Le Banquet”, at french contemporary art museum Palais de Tokyo on November 20th 2019. This text is part of a research project called Spore & Pollen.
Versions
- 🔊 [Umwelt of the bee,]
- English version 🇬🇧, read by performer Nolwenn Salaün
- 🔊 Umwelt de l'abeille
- French version 🇫🇷, read by actress Garance Kim
To know more on the subject
- About the project “Spore & Pollen”
- About the dish “Pollen”
- An open-source bee for a poisonous environment, interview with beekeeper and biologist Julien Perrin
Notes
- ↑ The term “Umwelt” designates the environment species or individuals can perceive through their senses. The term can be understood better when using the French expression: “monde propre”, which could be translated by “own world”.