BEIJING.- Although the Chinese pictograph and title of the project refers to “honey,” it also morphologically entails its originator, the “bee” and its natural habitat, the “hive.” “X Virtual Gathering: Honey” focuses on the expanded network of bees and its implications—ecological biogeography, human civilisation, and capitalisation. In recent years, resource depletion and ecological crises have resulted in a net loss of biodiversity, which has dramatically affected the living conditions of many species. Here, humans are no exception, and are never excused from these systems. The space occupied by “Honey” is not merely one of nature and ecology, but also a space shaped by totems and human activity that impacts wildlife. “X Virtual Gathering: Honey” is an interdisciplinary research project that commissions visual artists and music producers to explore organisms, ecosystems, food supply chains, cultural heritage, organisation and sharing. All of the works in this exhibition are new commissions, including a video game, eight music tracks, and an art installation. The game Honey will be available for download through X Museum’s online platform. At the end of 2024, the project will also release an eponymous vinyl record which will be distributed globally.

Humans created a nexus of civilisation, slowly deepening the division between civilisation and nature through technological revolutions. From reverence to exploitation, our shifted minds towards natural resources have disenchanted nature’s spirituality. Inorganics have been replacing the organics, continuing its claim as the centre of the capitalistic society. As of late, the delicate and dynamic balance amongst organisms has been disrupted against the backdrop of capitalism and the Anthropocene. The network of “Honey” symbolises a fluid environment, connecting humanity with “Otherness’, and capitalism with exploitation. This exhibition highlights and challenges a series of ecological predicaments coming towards us—artificial sugars, pesticides, intensive agriculture, and colony collapse disorder. Through various styles ranging from experimental electronic and dance music to free jazz and ambient music, this exhibition offers an interdependent soundscape. Sampled music from China’s ethnic minority regions trace an alternative perspective on the paradoxes of memories and loop back to the emotions of these interrelated communities.Techniques such as granular synthesis are used to further transcribe bee colonies and terrestrial ecosystems within the technological environment. As an abstract medium, music alters and challenges the participants” senses, urging us to rethink ecological justice and species justice.

“Honey” also symbolically alludes to the sacred—it flows from the material world to the immaterial realms with a golden gleam. It washes over human minds, and extends to eternity. Since the Stone Age, honey has been one of the oldest substances cultivated, managed and distributed by humans. It is a natural sweetener, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial agent, which reflects upon human prosperity and longevity, embodying our quest to speculate on the unknown and the cosmos. In this exhibition, each individual music work from the artists represents a specific event throughout levels in the game-build. As the space shifts, these pieces are triggered by visitors, immersing them during real-time gameplay. Visitors are invited to participate through the perspectives of bees, engaged in a dynamic, unstable environment that enhances and augments the sensory experience. “Honey” unfolds as a fluid, generative virtual space where “you” influences the honey, and the honey influences “you.”

Bee colonies are organised by an effective social structure that manifests collective decision making. Their ways of collaboration closely resemble the neuron interactions of the human brain. To study the behaviour of bees is to study ourselves. These social insects collectively decode complex tasks and are guided by instinct and order, while humans tend to pursue independence and freedom. In response, the game Honey spreads its multiple story lines around this organisational aspect, challenging the stereotypical concepts of order and autonomy, civilisation and nature. Here, we explore the trans-dimensional space that “honey” occupies in visual culture through the construction of a series of totemic symbols, and a mix of organic and inorganic landscapes. From discursive sound environments, installations and virtual worldbuilding to text, images, and gamified spaces, “X Virtual Gathering: Honey” systematically unpacks the intricate network of civilisation embodied by these insects. Through the lens of honey, the project takes a multi-species ethnographic approach in a dialectical exploration of the primordial, non-Western-centric ecological futures lurking beneath the “human” crisis.