Tirzah, Coby Sey Hive Mind (2021)
More than one third of the food we eat would not grow if it were not for bees. While collecting nectar and pollen for their own needs, these little creatures pollinate a big part of the fauna that ends up on our plates (or on the plates, so to speak, of the animals we gobble up).
The insects, whose population has reached a historic peak in the US in recent years, are known for their extraordinarily cooperative way of living and working—they always seem to have the benefit of the bigger group in the back of their little heads.
In fact, bees serve as a metaphor for collective efforts. For example, a consciousness or intelligence that emerges from the collaboration of various individuals is called a “hive mind,” referring to the bees’ nests, an analogy that inspired a track on British singer Tirzah’s sophomore album Colourgrade. “Hive Mind”, a duet with musician Coby Sey, is a puzzling track as the duo’s lyrics never quite reveal what they are referring to: “Said one by one—two by two—tethering like hive minds do.”
The video clip, a pretty experimental affair, provides some cues, however: The hive mind in question might be the group of fellow creators Tirzah and Coby Sey hang out with backstage and in those sunny London streets. Or is it their families that are represented by toddlers in the video? Or the butterflies the camera focuses on from time to time? Or maybe all of the above?
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