The Keeping of Bees is Like the Directing of Sunshine
1987
Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA

In the Spring of 1987, Joanna Haigood was accepted as an Artist-In-Residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, CA. There she met sculptor Mark Thompson, whose work centers around natural processes and the honey bee hive. That Fall they began a collaboration which was inspired by a wild hive in the studwork of an old military gymnasium. The Keeping of Bees is Like the Directing of Sunshine integrated architecture, dance, light, scent, and the flight of the bees. It captured the essence of the hive environment as both a microcosm of nature and as a metaphor for a larger human experience.

Through her work with Mr. Thompson, Joanna discovered latent interests in the study of other life forms. She says:

"Our relationship to animals has frequently been our link to the natural and supernatural worlds as expressed in myths and legends. By deepening our understanding of these relationships, we not only expose the parallels between human and animal behaviours, but also illuminate the unity of all things."

Collaborators
Joanna Haigood
Mark Thompson

Funders / Commissioners
The Keeping of Bees is Like the Directing of Sunshine was made possible with generous support from Headlands Center for the Arts

Premiere Date
1987

Premiere Location
Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA

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