The legs of this playful structure were made from curiously shaped ceramic components, stacked one on top of the other. The wooden platform at the top housed a colony of bees. The artwork was informed by the archaeology of beekeeping: the history of humans and bees and how people developed methods and structures for harvesting honey. The ceramics drew on the apiculture traditions that preceded the introduction of wooden hives. Up until 1852, beehives had been made of straw, clay, and fired ceramics. They often featured unique decorations that reflected their owner’s cultural beliefs or personality. The introduction of standardized wooden beehives was a double-edged sword: while they brought an end to 4,000 years of individuality, they made honey harvesting easier. The new hives allowed for increased production and greater profitability.
In bringing together a multiplicity of beehive shapes from various historical and geographical contexts, Firesong for the Bees, a Tree of Clay acted as a 'repository' that 're-pollinated' the city with forgotten iconographies, technologies, and architectures from the history of apiculture. A cross between a display structure and a critical device, the work invited viewers to reflect on why certain objects became obsolete and the extractive human-centric processes that led to the extinction of certain species. It was an invitation to sense and learn from the noises, smells, and histories of more-than-human intelligences.
These layers of possibility added to the long history of transformations linked to Sebrechtspark. Starting as a vegetable garden of the Grauwzusters of Saint Elisabeth in the 15th century, the site had fallen into dereliction and even become a car park in the 1950s, before opening to the public in 1982.
In her research-driven practice, Mariana Castillo Deball often examined how the cultural and functional significance of objects changed over time. Her work took shape through collaborations with artisans, archaeologists, anthropologists, scientists, or museums. In the bee-friendly city of Bruges, the artist collaborated with Biesous (Margot Hinnekens and Uther Smis), a young regional beekeepers’ initiative, who cared for the bees during and beyond the five months of Spaces of Possibility. The project was executed with respect for the bees’ wellbeing and the biodiversity in the park and the city. At the end of the exhibition, the structural elements were donated to Bruges’ beekeepers.
Mariana Castillo Deball (b. 1975, Mexico-stad, MX) lives and works between Berlin and Mexico City. In her art practice, she weaves diverse disciplines and influences into installations and sculptures that explore and interrogate the role of the object. With found elements and natural materials such as wood and clay, she creates fresh layers of meaning. She is guided by ethnographic research, archive material and the exchange of knowledge with makers who often remain invisible to the public at large.