Artist’s statement: "A privilege to hear and see bees soar in sunshine. My initial inspiration stems from listening to Dr Genevieve Campbell's research recording: Silent Land. A stark question was posed here: 'how is my country now?', leading me to contemplate on the things we might not readily see. Then, on World Bee Day (20 May) I discovered an online image of the Neon Cuckoo Bee, which can be found throughout most of Australia, stating around 75% of the main food crops benefit from bee pollination. Further advocated by songwriter/storyteller Nardi Simpson's Yarrager Mayra, which include the lyrics "bring back the bees", timing 51:25 (https://www.facebook.com/NITVAustralia/videos/771259340071744). Hence my reflective moment to paint the blue banded bee and its timeliness (the musical analogy here of tempo/rhythm) in raising its significance to crop pollination. And of course, its important contribution to the health of Country."

This item is part of The University of Sydney during COVID-19 collection.