MPC STEAM 2.0 Winning Competition Entry
Description-
In 2020 the Monterey Peninsula College hosted the STEAM 2.0 competition. All submissions to the competition were done as virtual presentations. The entries were posted on the MPC Libary pages for the entire month of November for viewing. Online comments about the works were posted to the guest book, and a vote was taken to determine first, second, and third place winners in the competition. The video shown here was entered in the competition by the MPC Printmakes Club, and took first place as the winner of the competition.
This was the text description of the entry-
The Honey Bee and the Beehive
Few animals have such an important role in symbolism. The symbolism of the honey bee and the beehive as an archetypal symbol of society: structures, organization and social collaboration. All individuals lead to a whole: no notion of individuals. As our present society is dealing with epic concerns on economic, environmental, health, and other human issues, all we have to do is turn towards the “honey bee” society for answers.
Why the Honey Bee?
Because of what it represents throughout humanity: Industry through cooperation. In these times of greed and intense individualism, we have seen major world structures collapse. How has the “honey bee” society been able to survive through the ages, without being consumed by it? There seems to be a higher motive, common to all in the society. Can we look inwards and reconnect to our own “higher motives”? Can we move away from fractionalism to wholeness, where there is an emphasis away from individualism?
Honoring the Honey Bee Society in STEAM 2.0
The honey bee embodies several aspects of STEAM. They use science and chemistry to convert pollen and nectar into honey and beeswax. Their engineering feats in building bee hives and honey combs are remarkable. They certainly understand the concept of math because they know how to multiple. As for art, well just look at them, they are beautiful. Lest we forget pollination, that’s in a category of its own. Without pollination many agricultural crops would not exist.
Printmakers also share many of these attributes. We use science, technology, engineering, and math to create beautiful works of art. We even use beeswax for many of our creations. One type of printing that embodies all of these is the solar plate printing technique, which we would like to share with you.
Here are some of the comments left in the guest book about this entry-
“This was such a great piece!”,
“Honoring the Honey Bee Society: What a fantastic full-length video on honey bees and solar plate prints. It comes at an appropriate time, too. During Covid-19, I have noticed a lot more bees in my yard, and that’s a really great thing! The video was very informative. I didn’t know there were so many uses for beeswax. I also enjoyed the tie-in to solar plate printmaking technology. It’s amazing that such detailed prints can be made with no toxic materials. That is very important to me. I care about what goes into my body, and what I do to the environment. The cinematography was terrific. I really liked the splashes of color on the black and white frames. The resulting bee prints are beautiful, too!“,
“I thought the presentation was well thought out and put together, information, and eye catching. Great job!”
“I really enjoyed ‘Honoring the Honey Bee Society with Solar Plate Prints.’ It was informative and very well done by Ed West.”
“Indeed an honor to be a participant in the film. More than that, is the importance of the status of the HONEY BEE. Thank you! Dan Welden”
“I enjoyed the learning experience. (I’ve always been fascinated by bees!)”
“Honey Bees- A “MUST” see — Well Done”
“Lovely video and gorgeous prints!”
“Informative video, beautiful prints and a lovely queen bee!”