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Ever imagined what it must feel like to be a honey bee? Well hold that thought, the opportunity has finally arrived in the form of a giant interactive bee “hive” which will spend the summer at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens just outside London.
Standing at 17 metres tall, and weighing in at almost 40 tonnes, we're not talking any ordinary beehive, but an awe-inspiring, pulsating and inspirational art installation come interactive educational tool on the plight of bees.
Multi Sensory Bee Hive Experience
Visitors will be given a 'bees eye view' of the precious pollinators' lives by stepping inside the cocoon–like structure made from 170,000 parts and 1000 LED lights creating a multisensory experience.
The 'honeybee effect' is completed as the gentle hum of bees emanates from a surround sound system inside the hive emulating the real-time activity of bees in a beehive located elsewhere in Kew Gardens. The surge of sound and light intensity will reflect what's happening in the real hive, giving visitors an insight into what it's actually like to be inside a bee colony.
Visitors to EXPO Milan 2015 will recognise the structure as Wolfgang Buttresses’ star attraction as the UK Pavilion, which attracted swarms of visitors during its six–month debut on a world stage.
The Hive Visitor Details
The hive will be available for visitors to Kew Royal Botanical Gardens until 17 November with a series of talks, tours, activities and films planned over the summer on the important role of bees and what we can do help them in their vital role.
Royal Botanic Gardens
Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3ABWebsite