A Bee's World: Adobe Illustrator, laser cutter, Premiere Pro, 2 min 42 sec, 2021.

175 bee themed pieces that fasten together with small dovetail joints. Altogether, they create a linear puzzle that describes the way our world thrives with the help of bees. Without them, we wouldn't have an ecosystem that provides crops, which benefit the our economic systems and provides nourishment for all beings. We would also lack certain commerical products that feed our economy, including cosmetics, candles, and even medicine. The idea of exploring the ways bees provide for our economy and our ecosystem (and basically our way of life) sounded much more promising than taking up more discouraging stories about bees and pesticides. We wanted to keep the positivity and be able to show our viewers just how large of an effect bees have on our world. Hopefully this would garner more appreciation for the little critters.

This project was a collaborative piece where each member created their own puzzle pieces. These pieces were created in a specific order, where certain pieces can only fit into others. For example, the beekeeper can only connect with the bee house and hands. Each piece was designed in Illustrator and cut using a laser cutter. Below are progress photos, a schematic of the puzzle, and a breakdown of who designed which pieces. Video was captured and edited with Premiere Pro.

Here is a video documentation showcasing how the pieces are put together: