De Ondas y Abejas

Installation with augmented reality app for mobile devices
2010

Bee colony collapse disorder, a sudden population decrease in a hive’s worker bee population, is a phenomenon without a clear explanation.  One theory has been that radiation from cellphones and cellphone towers is the cause.  Though there is no evidence to support the theory, it points to a general fascination and anxiety surrounding the invisible technologies of wireless communication.

De Ondas y Abejas (Of the Waves and the Bees) is an augmented-reality artwork for mobile devices.  Guests use an Android tablet to explore the gallery, finding small image markers of magnetic fields placed on the walls and corners.  When near these locations, 3D models of virtual bees appear on the tablet’s screen, overlaid on the real environment.  Viewers also wear headphones to hear a sound composition based on electromagnetic fields, and determined by their proximity to the AR marker.