Enter ‘The Hive’ at Kew Gardens Lates
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An award-winning architectural exploration of the lives of bees, originally on display at the Milan Expo 2015, has opened at London’s Kew Gardens. It can be seen and experienced throughout the summer, and on September 1 and September 15, it will be on view
Enter ‘The Hive’ at Kew Gardens Lates
An award-winning architectural exploration of the lives of bees, originally on display at the Milan Expo 2015, has opened at London’s Kew Gardens. It can be seen and experienced throughout the summer, and on September 1 and September 15, it will be on view in its full glory, aglow at night.Named “The Hive,” the 17 meter-tall construction was originally commissioned as the UK Pavilion for the Milan fair, the theme of which was “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.” In accordance with this brief, artist Wolfgang Buttress created an installation constructed out of 170,000 pieces of aluminum, whose lattice was inspired by both the movement of bees and the hives they create. LED panels and audio further link the structure to the movement of the insects, varying in intensity in response to the actions of real bees (in a real hive) connected to the sculpture. This is also accompanied by a soundtrack by Be — a supergroup of sorts including Jason Pierce of Spiritualized, Sigur Ros’ string section of choice Amiina, and many others — who together recorded “One,” a series of ambient improvisations in the key of C, based on the sounds of a beehive.Since being unveiled, the work has won 20 awards, including wins in both the judges’ and people’s choice categories in the Architizer A+ awards — perhaps the best indicator of how the piece has captured both the creative and popular imagination.With this in mind, and the knowledge that its light-based elements are at their most effective at night, Kew is basing two whole museum lates around the installation, allowing visitors to “make [their] way over to The Hive through a wildflower meadow, and once inside, sit back and let the beautiful symphony of sounds wash over [them],” with “this calming, meditative soundscape creat[ing] the perfect space to admire The Hive’s pulsating lights against the twilight sky,” according to a press release. A number of events and workshops inspired by the life and work of bees will also take place throughout this period.“The Hive Lates” will take place on September 1 and 15 at Kew Gardens. Read more
