Speaking with the (al)Bees Franchesca Hebert-Spence in conversation with Albyn Carias
“Speaking with the (al)Bees” is a sound installation of Albyn and myself that is a play on the tradition of ‘telling the bees’. The act of ‘telling the bees’ is to show reciprocity and maintaining a relationship with other-than-human beings by telling your hives news whenever there were major events – failing to do so could result in the bees getting sick or leaving. A facet of ‘telling’ I found intriguing is that it wasn’t always solely positive news, you needed to tell the bees when someone passed away or left. It’s here where I begin to draw the parallels between this demonstration of other-than-human reciprocity and strategies for navigating euro-western institutions by BIPOC folks.
Beading tables have played such an important role in my life, and coincidentally while we were in our undergrad together, it was during the Beading Babes beading circle that I got to know Albyn better. Since then, we have had numerous conversations over beads spanning light conversations, to difficult discussions – there’s loads of material that frames beading as an act of resistance and site of activism, and it’s in part due to beading tables being catalysts for these conversations. The change in the title from ‘telling’ to ‘speak with,’ shifts not only because Albyn is a person in conversation, but even the metaphorical bees (beads) in this exchange are animate.
The buzz of the beads act as a mask, allowing our conversation to safely take place in the white cube of the gallery – letting us plot, commiserate, and share information that will help us navigate our respective institutional spaces. The intimacy of seeing the beads slowly slide to one another and begin to mix reflects how we carry one another forward. Speaking only for myself – after gatherings or visits like the one Albyn and I recorded, I leave with a renewed sense of vigor and purpose that carries me over the next hurdle. For that gift, I am beyond grateful to him and to the beads.