The Hive

Forty-four tons of aluminum was transported and installed at London’s Kew Gardens, a beehive-inspired structure produced by the artist Wolfgang Buttress in partnership with designer and engineer Tristan Simmonds.

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Photo by Photographer Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The installation both aesthetically and symbolically represents its namesake, aiming to demonstrate to visitors the importance of protecting the honeybee.

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Photo by Photographer Dacian Groza

In addition to being composed of thousands of pieces of metal, “The Hive” is dotted with hundreds of LED lights that coordinate with a soundtrack of buzzing from within the hive.

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Photo by Photographer Jeff Eden
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Photo by Photographer Jeff Eden

These elements illuminate and hum in response to real bees housed at Kew, giving visitors a peek into the minute-by-minute energy and mood levels of the gardens’ bees.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Photo by Photographer Jeff Eden

Video source: Pirelli