Chinenye Miriam Emelogu Human Hives
I recall watching a documentary several years back on bees and their colony, which is almost as organised as that of ants. The hives created by the bees were enthralling and very much reminded me of how these insects portray the features of an ideal or utopian society with these constructions and their lifestyle. I also remember watching how these insects create honeys in their honeycombs. The nesting and social habits of the bees are diverse and complicated, so much so that a lot of researches have been made, and scientists have even developed an entire field of study on them with the intent of discovering how results obtained from such researches can be used to improve human social conditions. My work in the course of this project, which I have titled “Human Hives”, is an installation that is also intended to address the complex and dynamic issues of social structures within the Nigerian context, comparing the urban and rural social structure, and the effect of external or alien influences on both respectively. Nigeria is defined by her multi-ethnicity and the questionable historical circumstances that formed the basis of her creation and existence as a nation, which many analysts believe are responsible for her constantly threatened state of unity. The placing of the sachets that have been filled up with gelatinous liquids of different colours represent the diversity of human resources which Nigeria is comprised of. The hive is meant to depict the nation itself, in terms of its geographical terrain and socio- political, economic and cultural existence. An imbalance in the placement of the sachets within the combs each hive will be reflected in the overall structure of the hive by the distortion of its shape. This concept relates with the theme of this competition, ‘Consequences’, by the visual narrative that defines it; when there is disturbance within any social structure, the consequence will be disorder of the structure as a whole.
11