About the Exhibition

Jessica Rath with Robert Hoehn:

A Better Nectar

January 28 - March 28, 2019

This multisensory installation is based on the artists’ extensive research into co-evolutionary communication between flowering plants and their pollinators.

In “A Better Nectar,” visitors encounter human-scaled sculptures that evoke a bee’s sensory journey from nest to nectar, with audio and visual elements that interpret the bee’s experience. Rath, in collaboration with composer and sound designer Robert Hoehn, creates an immersive and interactive experience using sculpture, light, and sound to explore how bees learn and remember multisensory floral symbols to find better nectar.

“Resonant Nest,” the exhibition’s centerpiece, is a human-scaled bumblebee nest that emanates human voice interpretations of bee communication. A six-part score, composed by Hoehn, shifts in response to sensory inputs embedded in the sculpture that record changes in time, local weather conditions, and the proximity of viewers to the work.

Exhibition Images

Artist Residence with Elkpen - Artist Residence with Elkpen

a better nectar - Jessica Rath with Robert Hoehn

a better nectar - resonant nest

Research Station & Staminal Evolution - Sculpture, Installation View. Polyester resin, fiberglass, electronics, and speakers. Music and interactive systems design by Robert Hoehn

Bee Hotel - Artist Residence

Bee Purple - Immersive Light Installation

Research Station - Photographs

Staminal Evolution - Sculpture, Installation View. Polyester resin, fiberglass, electronics, and speakers. Music and interactive systems design by Robert Hoehn

Resonant Nest - Sculpture, Installation View. Polyester resin, fiberglass, electronics, and speakers. Music and interactive systems design by Robert Hoehn

Bee Hotel - Artist Residence

Artist Residence with Elkpen - Artist Residence with Elkpen

Bee Hotel - Artist Residence

Artist Residence with Elkpen - Artist Residence with Elkpen

Resonant Nest - Sculpture, Installation View. Polyester resin, fiberglass, electronics, and speakers. Music and interactive systems design by Robert Hoehn

Staminal Evolution & Research Station - Photographs and Sculpture, Installation View. Polyester resin, fiberglass, electronics, and speakers. Music and interactive systems design by Robert Hoehn

Artist Residence with Elkpen - Artist Residence with Elkpen

Artist Talk, February 11, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release No. COC-01.18.19-A Better Nectar

Contact: Eric Harnish
(661) 362-3429

COC Art Gallery Welcomes New Multisensory Exhibit

The College of the Canyons Art Gallery is pleased to present an exciting new exhibition, “A Better Nectar” by Jessica Rath with Robert Hoehn. This multisensory installation is based on the artists’ extensive research into co-evolutionary communication between flowering plants and their pollinators. The exhibition opens on Monday, Jan. 28 and is on display until Thursday, Mar. 28, 2019. A Better Nectar will be viewable in the Art Gallery and the first floor of Canyons Hall on the Valencia Campus.

Join the artists for a lecture and discussion on Monday, Feb. 11, 2:30-3:30 p.m. in Mentry Hall, Room 305. A free public reception and celebration for the artists will follow in the Art Gallery from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

In “A Better Nectar,” visitors encounter human-scaled sculptures that evoke a bee’s sensory journey from nest to nectar, with audio and visual elements that interpret the bee’s experience. Rath, in collaboration with composer and sound designer Robert Hoehn, creates an immersive and interactive experience using sculpture, light, and sound to explore how bees learn and remember multisensory floral symbols to find better nectar.

“Jessica Rath’s beautiful and compelling meditation on bees brings together contemporary art, science, and our environment so poetically – and I think – profoundly. She explores big ideas by way of these small insects! I can’t wait for everybody to see it,” said Pamela Lewis, Director, Art Gallery.

“Resonant Nest,” the exhibition’s centerpiece, is a human-scaled bumblebee nest that emanates human voice interpretations of bee communication. A six-part score, composed by Hoehn, shifts in response to sensory inputs embedded in the sculpture that record changes in time, local weather conditions, and the proximity of viewers to the work.

Also on display are Rath’s watercolor studies of flowers and “Bee Purple,” an immersive light work that emulates how bees experience the color wavelengths that attract them to floral patterns and nectar. “Bee Purple” was created in collaboration with multimedia programmer Elise Co.

“A Better Nectar” continues in Canyons Hall with a photo essay documenting Rath’s research at Leonard Bee Lab at the University of Nevada, Reno. Also on view is “Staminal Evolution,” a seven-foot tall, sonic sculpture inspired by flowering plants that require “buzz pollination,” a process in which bees vibrate a certain frequency to open the flower and thus release its pollen.

The College of the Canyons Art Gallery is located in Mentry Hall on the Valencia campus. It is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Those unable to visit the gallery during normal hours are welcome to contact the gallery to schedule a viewing appointment.

All gallery exhibitions and related events are free and open to the public.

artist link: http://jessicarath.com/

Jessica Rath

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