Colony Collapse (2025)

Colony Collapse is a mixed media sculpture comprised of wax, concrete, stucco and various industrial inks and paints.

It’s intention is built as a reflection of the societal shift we are witnessing. Whilst the idealogy of the both the left and the right become intertwined and compete for legitimacy they both follow the route of heavy industrialism and commodifitation of people.

Through this sculpture I built a wax hive and slodified it with stucco. Industrial material being something I’m familiar with and feel have a connection to the working society. From there It became a process of taking an organic and somewhat unbalanced system and introduccing uniformity. In doing so i ruined the wax. The shape. I layerd on paints and inks and poisened the earth the hive had stood on all for the sake of stability and progress.

The core idea is that we’re in the focus of a storm right now. Where institutions and heavy handed policy are causing irreparable damage. In the US with ICE collecting immigrants and citizens and just removing them without just cause. In the UK with the laws on protest and attempts to combat extreme austerity we have seen more and more how this is not the right way. And yet it persists. It persists because those who own the systems are afraid and in being afraid react violently.

Whether it be through societal control, media control or laws. hives in their nature are collaborations they are a collective of creatures coming together to build something long lasting and what they believe is “Stable”.

I didn’t build a perfect hive. ‘Perfect” hives to not exist as they are creations of imperfect chaos. You adapt and you over come and you accept the world around you will change thats the point of a society.

And when you introduce something artificial and formulaic to such an nth degree you kill the hive.

When you vanish the people who pick your food/work your jobs you kill the hive.

When expression removal and censorship are justified due to ‘Economic needs’ You kill the hive.

When commerce and content are prioritized over original thinking you kill the hive.

And thus…Colony Collapse.

This mixed media sculpture is available to display please contact me if interested.