Mapping Emergence
Project details
| Project leads |
Dr Thomas O'Shea Wheller |
|---|---|
| Centre alignment | Centre for Heritage, Culture & Society |
| Start date | 2022 |
| End date | Ongoing |
|
Mapping Emergence is an art-science collaborative project which seeks to uncover hidden narratives embedded in insect colonies and engage people with these stories by co-creating art. Our challenge is to make accessible to both audiences and aligned researchers, the potential for art co-creation in / with entangled ecosystems. Humans both coexist and conflict with social insects, relying on them for crucial ecosystem services. Ants, bees, and wasps are ever-present in our lives, yet insect populations are declining at an unprecedented rate. The project investigates urgent issues such as biodiversity loss, invasive species proliferation, pollination service maintenance, and the interface of each issue with human societies, through the lens of insect societies. The project aims to evaluate the potentialities of ‘creative exchange’ from a post-anthropocentric perspective, challenging the boundaries of human | more-than-human collaboration, as well as those between disciplines. By testing novel concepts, this project aims to contribute to cross-institutional culture of art-science collaborations. By creating integrated methodologies, we inform our research communities to further the depth of collaboration between art and science to respond to our shared ecological crisis. The unique ‘third space’ that emerges from interacting with more-than-human life as true collaborators is valuable to artistic research. Similarly, the methods that we have developed provide strong transferability to social insect research and will enhance opportunities for scientific engagement. |
Project team
Mapping Emergence started as a collaboration between Dr. Catarina Fontoura (Falmouth University) and Dr Thomas O’Shea Wheller (University of Exeter) through the Creative Exchange Award which explored the concept of artful gestures shared between humans and social insects.
Dr Catarina Fontoura
Course Leader, Photography BA(Hons) (Online)
Catarina Fontoura is an artist, educator and writer. She has submitted her PhD thesis in History of ...
Partners
Mapping Emergence is in partnership with the following people and organisations:
- Dr Thomas O'Shea Wheller, University of Exeter
- University of Exeter
Outcomes & outputs
The outputs our ongoing project are multifaceted and far-reaching. These include exploring fundamental questions of creativity across species; the generation of novel methodologies combining artistic and scientific approaches; and creating artworks that encourage audiences to adopt an ‘insect-minded’ perspective in the face of shared ecological challenges—making these challenges more engaging and accessible.
Our outcomes have the potential to do more than just question or critique the hegemony of humans over non-humans; they can undermine the very possibility of thinking about humanity as autonomous and self-determined.
Mapping Emergence is a creative exchange between art, science, and social insects, our project asks: How can art co-created with social insect colonies reveal their emergent properties - essential for human life – while encouraging people to use creativity to shape our shared ecological future?
Impact & recognition
Mapping Emergence have conducted successful public engagement activities as part of our initial seed project. Over 100 people have participated in open fieldwork sessions, experimental workshops and talks, where we introduced our methodology to audiences, allowing them to engage with our experiments and interact with insects themselves.
Taking place between 9 - 27 July 2024 at Gray’s Wharf Gallery in Penryn, 'Learn from a Bird' was a rare opportunity to discover more about the unique creative collaborations taking place between artists, researchers, students, and staff, from the University of Exeter and Falmouth University at the Penryn Campus. Mapping Emergence was shown there as a solo exhibition which included an artist talk and guided visits.
Project media
Public media for Mapping Emergence includes:
- Arts & Culture - University of Exeter 'Learn from a Bird'
- BBC Sounds Radio Interview
- Arts & Culture - University of Exeter news story
- Falmouth University news story
