Fragmented Hives

Honeycombs structure and geometry have fascinated architects and artists for a long time. Their geometry and mathematical perfection brought mystery and fascination. In architecture, honeycombs were an inspirational source behind the creation of a variety of forms and skins.

Fragmented Hives’ was initially conceived as a visual art installation for Sikka 2014 - Dubai. The project title and the morphology of the then installation derives its inspiration from the structural and design principles of a beehive. The honey comb structure of the beehive is a variation of the rhombic dodecahedron that minimises the surface area for a given volume. For a long time, scientists have been studying the bees extensively to understand how they thrive through simple communications and processes to achieve sustenance and complexity. Such systems are primarily driven by the requirement of optimising the process, there by using optimum resources to meet the vital requirements of the system to survive. These concepts have often been extended to our built environments and material properties to achieve strength, durability and adaptability. 

Having said this, the interest of the installation was explore the audience interactivity and the fabrication process of building individual hexagonal cells which could then be attached to each other; contributing to the overall morphology of the installation. This act resembles the notion of each bee building its own cells for storing food and to house the ‘brood’ (eggs, larvae, and pupae). 

The presentation by Zayad Motlib and Muhammed Shameel will discuss few theories behind the honeycombs formation. The installation set base for two other projects that were realised in 2015- Beehive 2.0 and AAVS ‘Scaffold Fabrication’. The 45 minute presentation will showcase the project development and its evolution in last two years.