The latest step in Orange’s ‘Dancing with Bees’ public art project has unfolded with the installation of two large circular video screens on the front of Orange Civic Theatre, each measuring two metres across.
Orange City Council Services Committee chair Cr Mel McDonell has welcomed the latest signs of progress ahead of a public launch later this month.
“Orange has a fantastic collection of public art and this next project is going to be an outstanding and ambitious addition,” Cr McDonell said. “It’s all about bees and how important they are to our environment while celebrating the incredible talent of our local dance community.
“This is exceptional value for money. As a community we’re getting a major new artwork by an international-award-winning Australian artist. It’s a project that has directly involved local performers and businesses as well as diving into the extraordinary Insect and Mite Collection at the NSW DPI Biosecurity Unit in Orange.”
Orange Mayor Jason Hamling said he was impressed to discover the depth of local involvement in creating the artwork.
“I know people are worried about the cost of this project, but really Council’s share of the cost is quite moderate and much of it has been spent locally with local residents,” Cr Jason Hamling said.
“It’s important to keep the costs of Council projects like this in context. If it costs $450,000 for a new Glenroi skate park, or $280,000 for a new enclosed sports court, then $180,000 on public art starts to sound very moderate, especially when only $30,000 of that money is from Council.
“The artist has brought the majority of the funding to the project and professionally engaged our local dancers and production company Little Image Co. to create this artwork.
“Through this project local dancers have had a fantastic opportunity to work closely with a leading artist, a brilliant choreographer and a highly regarded costume designer.”
Orange Deputy Mayor Gerald Power responded to recent criticism of the latest public art project.
“Calling this artwork a ‘clock’ is a bit like referring to a Formula One racing car as just a car. It’s technically accurate but it also misses the point of everything that’s interesting about a F1 racing car. Ideas about the movement of time are only one factor in this artwork,” Cr Gerald Power said.
“This public artwork explores some fascinating ideas about bees and how crucial they are to our local environment. I believe the more the community learns about this artwork, the more it’s going to grow on them.”
FACT SHEET:
The artwork consists of digital imagery and video shown 24/7 on two circular screens, one hung above the other. The screens are positioned on the front of the Orange Civic Theatre, about seven metres above the ground.
The top screen will display a series of very high-resolution images of native bees photographed by Zanny Begg at the Insect and Mite Collection at the NSW DPI Biosecurity Unit in Orange. Each image of a bee specimen is assembled from up to 200 separate photographs using microscopic equipment. Scientists tell how bees communicate with each other through intricate dance-like movements when they return to the hive about the direction and distance to food sources.
The lower screen will show video of local and visiting dancers responding through dance to each of the bees on the screen above. The video, created by artist Zanny Begg, was filmed by local production team Little Image Co. on the stage of the Orange Civic Theatre. The dancers perform choreography created by renowned Australian choreographer Larissa McGowan in response to the movement of the bees.
As well as young dancers from local dance schools, the dancers include professional performers who began dancing in Orange and the Central West. These include Wiradjuri Dancer Ella Havelka who became the first Indigenous dancer to be invited into The Australian Ballet and professional dancer Ashlee Wilson. Aspiring and young Orange dancers also feature including Claudia Horan, Paityn Klaare, Madison Gwynne and Lylah Maunder, and others from the Walanmarra Malungan Dance Group from Orange.
In the video, the dancers wear costumes designed by Alexi Freeman created in response to the colours and textures of the bees appearing on the screen above.
Because ‘Dancing with Bees’ is a digital artwork, the images can change. Each circular screen is framed by dots which light up to take the shape of an analogue clock face which will keep real time. The top screen will show the image of a bee which completes one complete rotation over the space of an hour. Twelve bee species will be displayed over 12 hours. On each hour the bees and dancers will change so that there is a new native bee featured each hour along with a new dancer.
The $180,000 project is funded by Create NSW and the Australian Council for the Arts ($110k), the NSW Government Infrastructure Grant ($40k) and Orange City Council (31k).
Council’s contribution is around $30,838, about 17 per cent of the total cost
