Opelika-Auburn Film Arts Collective: Boxcar Opelika, AL
Frank Schellace
artist, beekeeper
Phase IV— Celebrate World Bee Day!
Program Description
To celebrate Saul Bass' visually striking cult sci fi film about a mysterious solar occurrence resulting in the rise of a super intelligent ant colony, we're featuring a bee-centered interactive performance lecture by artist and master beekeeper FRANK SCHELLACE, founder of non-profit Traveling Hive, alongside a science illustration display by AMANDA KONISHI, a fine artist and science illustrator focused on entomological and botanical subjects. Together, these elements invite new ways of thinking about insects, science, and how culture shapes our fears and understanding of the natural world.
Presented At
Opelika-Auburn Film Arts Collective: Boxcar Opelika, AL
Film Synopsis
Desert ants suddenly form a collective intelligence and begin to wage war on the desert inhabitants. It is up to two scientists and a stray girl they rescue from the ants to destroy them.
Due to a mysterious cosmic event, ants in the Arizona desert have undergone rapid evolution, developed a hive mind, and declared war on the human race. It’s up to two scientists (Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy) and a woman they rescue (Lynne Frederick) to destroy them. But the ants have other ideas. After creating credit sequences for films like The Man With the Golden Arm, and directing segments of films such as Grand Prix and Psycho, Saul Bass made his directorial debut with this stylized sci-fi flick.
About the Speaker
Frank Schellace is an artist and founder of the science education nonprofit Traveling Hive. He has developed a unique method of connecting to insects through interactive performance; a culmination of his many years as an artist creating his own instruments with atypical materials, his credentials as a master beekeeper, including research-based work with the Auburn University Bee Center, and a strong desire to advocate for wild pollinator and plant ecosystems.