HIVE OF INDUSTRY

Do you think about where your next meal is coming from?  If you're poor you probably do.  If you're like me the older I get the more I seem to think about food. I used to think about death all the time and then a boss suggested that I substitute death for sex and that did work for a while. But how many of us seriously think about the long view-the feeding of our planet?
     Well, Kew Gardens is trying to get us to do just that in it's sensational multi-sensory art/science installation called THE HIVE. It was commissioned by the British government and created by an English artist Wolfgang Buttress, Simmonds Studio and the Building Design Partnership. Rising to 17 meters, it is said to be a feat of British engineering. The structure highlights the importance of pollinators to our future food security. As many of the world's pollinators are different species of bees THE HIVE  dazzles us with sensory experiences to engage and connect with the plight and the flight of the wild bee. In recent years bee populations have suffered declines as habitat loss, parasites and disease, invasive species, climate change and the reduction of wildflower diversity take their toll.
      The installation is made from thousands of pieces of aluminium which create a lattice effect and is fitted with hundreds of LED lights that glow and fade as a unique soundtrack hums and buzzes around you. As part of the total experience you are invited to take a lolly stick and place it in a metal hole on a pole, put your hands over your ears and sense the vibrations of two honey bees connecting.
       The structure was inspired by the work of scientist Dr. Martin Bensik, whose pioneering research can help us understand how the buzzing of bees can indicate deterioration in a hive. In Kew, scientists and horticulturists are exploring the relationship between plants, their pollinators, and the future impact of low bee numbers on feeding our planet. Who was it who said,' Once the bees go, the human race will soon follow.' ?
       As we pushed our grandson around in his buggy after his veggie lunch in the autumnal sunshine the installation made us think about the impact of bees-or loss of them- on his future. 
       Kew Gardens has a host of talks and workshops this autumn on the importance of bees to our food supply. The installation is a wonderful example of where creative thinking and art can inspire and teach us about our science. NOT TO BE MISSED!   Visit kew/org/followkew.   Facebook. YouTube, #kewhive