Binaural Radio Rural #32 - Tramontana Series: Beehiving

Notas do episódio

We continue to present a series of Binaural Radio Rural podcast that is part of the Creative Europe funded project, Tramontana Network, which consists in a cooperation between eleven mountain-based cultural organizations from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Romania, Poland and Albania that all work in the intersection between ethnographic research and contemporary artistic practices. Throughout the episodes of this podcast series, we are creatively addressing rural-based subjects like agropastoralism, transhumance, water manifestations and symbologies, social change and its impact on landscape and food production and consumption, the Ukrainian migration to rural areas in Europe and more. In this episode we present “Beehiving”, a collective sound piece created by Luis Costa, Rui Costa, and Manuela Barile for the Italian cultural organization Stazione di Topolò, in the border between Udine province and Slovenia. It was initially presented in 2010 as part of the 24-hour live and web event “To Be Continued,” which brought together works from artists worldwide reflecting on health, physical and mental well-being, disease prevention, and medical education. This sound journey explores the aural and symbolic world of bees and beekeepers in the rural Portugal, emphasizing both the anthropological and the metaphorical significance of the hive as a functioning community. The sound piece immerses listeners in the natural rhythms and hums of the beehive, in the voices of beekeepers, addressing the complexities of the world of beekeeping, and in electronic and vocal experimentations, metaphorically suggesting a balance between nature and human care. The activity of bees and their complex social behavior serve as a sonic analogy for the interconnectedness of physical and psychological health. Through this auditory experience, the piece proposes a deeper understanding of the ancient practice of beekeeping and its relevance to contemporary concerns about well-being and environmental harmony. Medieval texts frequently mention beekeeping as a model of social organization. Authors such as Albertus Magnus and Hildegard of Bingen wrote about the hive, noting the division of labor and cooperation among bees as a reflection of ideal community structures. In his treatise "De Animalibus," Albertus Magnus described the bees’ roles and their collective effort, drawing a comparison to human society’s need for order and collaboration. Similarly, Hildegard’s writings connected the harmony within the hive to spiritual and social health, suggesting that the success of a community depends on the care and responsibility shared by all its members. By engaging with the traditions of Portuguese apiarists through this sound piece, listeners are invited to reflect on how community can inform our understanding of social cohesion today. Just as bees construct their hive with precision, cooperation, and resilience, human societies require attention, mutual support, and a shared sense of purpose to thrive.