Simnikiwe Buhlungu

flight (tswee). dance (tswee), 2021

Sound installation, 10:55 min

Recorded in July 2021 in Amsterdam, flight (tswee). dance (tswee) by Simnikiwe Buhlungu is an audio recording of honey bees in flight: at work, through play and during their orientation flights. The work is an attempt to record the ‘waggle dance’ – a movement that forager honey bees perform upon returning to the hive with information about the sources of nectar, pollen and water as a way to communicate this with the rest of the hive by bodily gesturing in what looks like the number eight or infinity sign. This allows honey bees to accurately communicate – or rather share – knowledges through what has been documented as “dancing.” According to the artist, the encounter with their score or choreography could inspire us to think differently about bodies and knowledge vibrating outside of ourselves that we are connected to.