Jereon Eisinga’s biggest competitor is himself. He often challenges himself to see how far his limit is. In an early work film 40-44-PG, a Volkswagen Beetle rides around in circles in a parking lot as Eisinga walks blindedfolded in circles in the opposite direction. The unsynchronized walking has viewers holding their breaths, wondering if he’ll get hit or not. In his newest film, Springtime, Eisinga is sitting very still at a table as he allows 250,000 bees to swarm his shirtless and shaven body.
Viewers at the Hirshhorn Museum say that the film was unsettling and difficult to watch. Taking into consideration their opinions, I tried to figure out what made them feel so uncomfortable. People’s main concern was if Eisinga was getting stung or not. That’s when I realized that people see bees as violent insects. Bees swarm when the queen bee leaves her colony to find a new nest. This is the only way to create the “bee beard.” Eisinga had the queen bee captured in a net cage and strapped to his chin. The honeybees then followed the queen bee and swarmed around her. The bees weren’t covering Eisinga because they felt threatened; they took his body to be the new colony. Entomologists use this to show how nice bees are and often will let you try on the bee beard.
It took two years for Eisinga to prepare to be blanketed by bees. He was coached by beekeepers and practiced mental and physical discipline to maintain his composure. Springtime was filmed one time so there was no chance for Eisinga to freak out or mess up; nor was there opportunity for rehearsals. In an interview with Dutch television RTV Eisinga said that during the time, he was thinking about death. (Understandably.)
Despite our instinct to buy cans of insecticide during the summertime, we actually need bees. Cross pollination and reproduction of plants are dependent on bees. Pollination is required for plants to reproduce. Without bees, we wouldn’t have any fruit or vegetables (or honey).
List of some of the crops pollinated by bees. How many of these do you love to eat?
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Kiwi fruit |
Oil seed rape |
Runner beans |
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Cranberry |
Turnip rape |
Lima beans |
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Blueberry |
Sunflowers |
Broad beans |
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Gooseberry |
Cotton |
Soya bean |
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Currants |
Vetches |
Aubergine |
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Cherry |
Lucerne (alfalfa) |
Tomato |
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Pear |
Clovers |
Peppers |
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Plum |
Lupin |
Cucumber |
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Apple |
Buckwheat |
Squash |
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Blackberry |
Pumpkin |
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Orange |
Gourds |
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Lemon |
Celery |
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Melon |
coriander |
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Watermelon |
Fennel |
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Raspberry |
Gherkin |
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Peach |
Marrow |
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Strawberry |
Mustard |
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So while many people were grossed out by Eisinga, what he did was innovative. He enveloped himself in the insect that provides the foods that nourish our bodies.
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- Ev Lederman
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