The wall hanging displays intricate details of a native bee habitat, while advocating an awareness of these underappreciated creatures, whom without the natural world would struggle. The piece has 4 art mitred cornered art pieces on a macramé hanging. The honey bees are under threat due to a parasite the Varroa mite and many hives have been destroyed to stop the spread in NSW. The project was motivated by my Grandfather's love for science and nature and it allowed me to delve into the inner hive with the concentric structure only created by the Australian Stingless Bee. The inner hive is represented through honeycomb shape manufactured through fabric manipulation, including smocking, furrowing and shibori. The Direct digital print represents the landscape with its iconic bee box as a man-made home, with pile grasses and felting, and the use of earthy natural colours giving emphasis. The natural environment depicts the Australian trees and the rolling hills, where the native bees habitat and uses an innovative hessian wrapping technique to create a 3D effect. The machine embroidered bee is created by computerised embroidery machine and the bobbin threads are cut to create a pile. The use of rust printing also allowed me to create depths of golden colours in abstract forms. It was enjoyable to learn new skills and trial a variation of techniques to achieve the aesthetic of the naive bee’s world, although there were challenges including the mitred corners to finish each section and the macramé idea to have an aesthetic art piece. It was through this I had the inspiration to create a story. The hand work was a space, where I could lose a sense of time and unwind, so I found this to be enjoyable to sew colonial knots, smocking and punch needle. I also found testing, problem solving and researching a skill I improved in and gained confidence in each section achieving a project that demonstrates an Agricultural issue in Australia. The functionality of the wall hanging stems from its ability to be hung from the wall by the driftwood or the attached ring, and due to the inclusion of the heavy weight interfacing the project sits flat on the wall, allowing for it ascetics to be seen.
