Beginner Hive Mind from Juan William Chavez on Vimeo.

Filmed at the Pruitt Igoe Bee Sanctuary pilot site, the footage explores the hive as a superorganism and demonstrates the bees collective goal bringing in pollen. Beginner Hive Mind references the Zen Buddhist practice of learning as a beginner and keeping your mind empty of preconceived notions in order to be open to the many possibilities that may be. Chavez’s close observation of the bees allows him to reconnect to a deeper ecology to view nature, food and architecture as a whole, which provokes the question: Are we as a community able to learn from the bees and function as a superorganism?

Pruitt-Igoe Bee Sanctuary ( film ) from Juan William Chavez on Vimeo.

This 8mm film explores the land where the Pruitt-Igoe housing projects once stood in St. Louis, Missouri. After the demolition of all 33 buildings that comprised Pruitt-Igoe the remaining empty lot of several acres over time has naturally transformed into an overgrown urban forest. The film begins with the site-specific installation of bee hives referencing the Pruitt-Igoe high-rise designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki and concludes with a scene taken of the Man of Bicorp, a 8,000 year old cave drawing of a figure gathering honey.

Pruitt-Igoe Bee Sanctuary Photographs: explores the land where the Pruitt-Igoe housing project once stood in St. Louis, Missouri. After the demolition of all 33 buildings that comprised Pruitt-Igoe, the remaining empty lot of several acres naturally transformed into an overgrown urban forest.

Pruitt-Igoe Bee Sanctuary Beehive Installation: is a site-specific installation of beehives by Chavez that reference the Pruitt-Igoe complex that was designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki, who also designed the World Trade Center towers.