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Covid lockdowns stopped me running an exciting and creative series of outdoor workshops with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in the spring and summer of 2020. However, an exciting legacy art commission came through, that led me to explore a different path of working with wire and paper.
This piece was commissioned to tell the story of the bilberry bush, Vaccinum myrtillus, through the seasons, and the nest and bilberry bumblebees Bombus monticola, which are both becoming increasingly rare. Conservation and observation projects are well underway in the moorland areas of the Peak District, near where I live. Education is needed to protect both the bilberry bushes, and the bilberry bumblebees, and the piece I have created is to tour the UK, when restrictions are lifted and things become more possible again.
The diorama I created, shows a cross section of the bilberry bumblebee nests, underground. They take over the nesting holes of voles and mice, literally pushing the little mammals out! The underground cross section is constructed using wire mesh and felted wool. The plants were constructed using wire and paper, and were hand painted using inks and acrylics. The berries and flowers are made of paper clay and paint. Needle felting techniques were used to construct the cross section of the ground, and the bees. The whole piece is encased in a beautifully crafted, museum and gallery quality, acrylic display box
“Lise’s Bilberry bumblebee nest tableau is exquisite. But it’s also scientifically accurate and a great learning tool for our project raising awareness of bumblebees. Working with Lise was a pleasure – she took time to really understand what we wanted from this piece. Her attention to detail and communication throughout the process ensured that the bumblebees and their nests are as close to life as possible. Not to mention the gradual seasonal change of the bilberry bushes under which their nest is developing. From the lone queen in her spring nest, through bumblebee workers feeding on the flowering bilberries, to the ripe berries and full nest in the autumn, the whole lifecycle of the nest is shown. The display engages people emotionally with these beautiful rare bumblebees and helps us to share their story with the wider public.
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust aims to increase the number and distribution of bumblebees and create a world where bumblebees are thriving and valued. Artwork like Lise’s helps us to reach out to people’s hearts and minds – connecting on aesthetic and intellectual levels with the beauty and fragility of our rare and wonderful bumblebee species. As a science-led charity, it is important for us that we present information that is both accessible and accurate. Lise not only took time to research the subject and respond to our constant requests for little changes to keep things scientifically correct – but also took time to go out in the field to gather first hand experience. This attention to detail shines through in the finished artwork and we would not hesitate to work with Lise again.”
~ Rhodri Green : Pollinating the Peak, Community Engagement Officer
The Bilberry bumblebee nest will be part of a travelling exhibition over the coming year, visiting museums and galleries across Derbyshire and the Peak District. Further details of this – and of our local project, Pollinating the Peak – supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund – will be found at our website: https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org
