Anthophilia

BackgroundAnthophilia is a four-screen video installation written, directed, and produced by the lead researcher. While nature documentaries have explored bee behavior in general contexts (Dohrn, 2021; Nelson, 2020), few large-scale video installations have investigated the science of bees through representations of their perceptual experience. This research addresses the question: Can a physically immersive, multiscreen video installation serve as an effective medium for engaging audiences with the science of bees and their ecological significance?ContributionAnthophilia presents scientifically accurate representations of bee vision within a four-screen video installation, designed to engage and educate museum visitors. The work investigates more-than-human perception, plant-pollinator relationships, and environmental consciousness through interdisciplinary collaboration between filmmaker-artists and animal scientists. Our team explored how principles of bee perception and flower pollination could be effectively communicated through large-scale video installation in museum contexts. The video materials, including 3D flower models, are grounded in scientific data collected from two field sites in Victoria, Australia.SignificanceAnthophilia represents a rare instance of scientifically accurate bee vision rendering within an immersive video art installation accessible to general museum audiences. The project was commissioned by Buttress Studios ($15K) for the major exhibition 'Bees: A Story of Survival' at the World Museum, UK (National Museums Liverpool), running from 4 May 2024 to 28 September 2025. Anthophilia will tour internationally with the exhibition to museums in Canada, the United States, and New Zealand through 2027.