Creating Buzz on Mountaintop
Students create an informal gathering space with a sculptural bee that will take flight this fall.
As part of the Mountaintop activation grant, designer and architect Christina Zhang had a buzz worthy idea to bring people to Lehigh’s upper campus. “I was trying to think of a visually striking way to gather people that also has a lot of flexible use. I thought of this idea of a pollinating vehicle that moves around campus,” she explains.
What better way to pollinate Mountaintop than a bee? Bees can often be found in the natural grass meadows along Research Drive, but this sculptural bee won’t cause a sting.
Bee-hind the Scenes
Zhang, assistant professor in the Department of Art, Architecture and Design, led a one credit course in the spring. Students over five weeks—the approximate lifespan of a real bee if you’re wondering—designed, constructed and documented building the bee. It is made with materials recycled from Zhang’s other projects that are meant to last a long time, a wood frame, metal body, and durable plastic wings. Students also created a plan for events and prompts that will be posted on the body of the bee.
While it only took seven days to construct, everyone hopes the lifecycle will be much longer than that. While the outside of the bee itself is striking, the inside houses colorful flower chairs and a rug that can be taken out. Students brainstormed lots of gathering ideas from karaoke night to a disco party. There is a bench inside the structure too so people could even have a date in the bee.
“It’s not just a moveable party bee, but pollinating ideas,” Zhang remarks. “It’s collecting data on how people use the Mountaintop campus which might become useful for campus planners.” The bee will move every two weeks to different areas at Lehigh this fall, including upper and lower campus. There’s a blackboard on the body that will ask a thoughtful question in every new location. It’s not just pollinating ideas but memories.
Opening Celebration
The wandering bee mobile installation had its grand opening in early September on the Mountaintop Circle Lawn. A large crowd gathered around the brightly colored sculpture, taking photos, playing games, and excitedly chatting and hanging out with friends.
“It feels amazing when something you make or create is out there,” says Chowdhury Farah Noor ‘26, an architecture and product design double major, who helped put the finishing touches on the bee this summer.
“[The bee project] means activating Mountaintop and having people interested in all the cool things that happen up here, including all of the maker spaces. That fact that you can build something like this and have the resources to make it, you can find all of that up here,” says Ruth Traldi, Mountaintop Programs Manager.
During the celebration Zhang admitted, “I didn’t tell anyone when I applied for this grant because I thought no one would understand what I was trying to do.” She was surprised when they endorsed her idea and the large crowd at the party is proof of the bee’s unique draw.
After the bee’s semester on campus it will be donated to the local community. “I really want to see it on the greenway so we can be more connected to the Southside community,” says Ángel Castañeda ‘27, architecture major who helped construct the bee during the spring.
While Zhang’s idea was initially born to activate Mountaintop, it will fly on, creating buzz and pollinating memories all over the Lehigh Valley.