Dunn Museum to Host Beehive Sculpture, “The Translation Machine” by Daric Gill

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by Daric Gill

[Video Above] “The Translation Machine”
Interactive Sound Sculpture & Co-Creation With Bees by Daric Gill

You’re warmly invited to experience “The Translation Machine” this February at the Bess Bower Dunn Museum, in collaboration with The Bee Collective. “For The Love of Pollinators” is an exhibition that celebrates the vital connection between pollination, habitat, art, and the natural world. Featuring over 30 sculptural artworks from around the world, created with the help of honey bees, you’ll discover the beauty and importance of pollinators in our ecosystems and communities.

Exhibition Dates:
February 14 – May 31, 2026

Location:
Bess Bower Dunn Museum
1899 West Winchester Rd
Libertyville IL 60048

About The Translation Machine

“The Translation Machine” is a sound installation & interspecies co-creation with honeybees. A set of wooden hexagonal tubes act as acoustic chambers for speakers that play recordings through honeycomb that clings to the inside of amplifying horns. When triggered by motion, the sculpture plays recordings taken from the artist’s global travels, with the volume increasing as the viewer approaches the honeycomb. This is achieved using an artist-programmed microcontroller, a passive infrared sensor, & sonar sensors housed in a hexagonal box at the sculpture’s center.

This piece discusses the oscillation between purpose & compromise, precision & chance, where different ecosystems are presented with an opportunity to blend together through adaptive problem-solving. It’s a study of the convergence of technology, nature, & humanity.

Two stylized acoustic speaker boxes create a 'V' shape on a window bench in a mansion.
Detail of honeycomb from inside an interactive sound sculpture by artist Daric Gill.
Honeycomb cling to the inside of a wooden hexagonal cone. Behind the beeswax is a speaker and acoustic speaker box.
A detail of electronics of "The Translation Machine", a sound sculpture by Daric Gill.
View from above: an interactive sound sculpture by artist Daric Gill made from Honeycomb, wood, & mixed electronics.
Looking over a curved wooden banister in a mansion, at "The Translation Machine", an interactive sound sculpture by artist Daric Gill.
A white speaker mounted to the end of a hexagonal wooden tube used as speaker boxes.
Honeycomb cling to the inside of two wooden hexagonal cones. Behind the beeswax is a speaker and acoustic speaker box.
A speaker rests behind a lobe of honeycomb.
Light can be seen through the cells of honeycomb that clings to the inside of a sound sculpture.
A red handled clasp holds together the two wooden halves of an interactive sound sculpture.
Detail view of electronics and acoustic chambers of "The Translation Machine", an interactive sound sculpture by Daric Gill,
Detail of honeycomb in Daric Gill's "The Translation Machine", an interactive sound sculpture.
The electronics belonging to "The Translation Machine", as viewed from above.
Select view of the main control center for "The Translation Machine".
Inner electronics from an interactive sound sculpture.
Detailed view of sonar sensor on "The Translation Machine", an interactive sound sculpture by artist Daric Gill.
Looking up wooden steps leading to a large window and "The Translation Machine", an interactive sound sculpture by artist Daric Gill.
Electronics components from an interactive sound sculpture.
Three quarter view of control center for interactive sound sculpture by Daric Gill
Detail of the power switch and speaker wire terminals.
The inside of a six sided acoustic speaker box.
Detail of a mirrored panel with terminal posts.
Audio wires, Arduino, buck converter, and the back of an audio amp.