Kew Gardens is a large scientific research site on the west side of London, which allows the general public to walk among and see some of the botanical research on site. This year, an amazing installation reflecting some of the research into insects was added into the gardens.
The Hive has been built to represent a bee hive. It is in fact linked to a actual bee hive on the site. The movement and activity taking place in the real beehive is transmitted to the Hive and made apparent by lights and sounds.
Little LEDs at the ends of the spokes light up when bees touch their equivalent place in the real hive. A clear floor is set part way up the hive so that you can experience what it is like inside, not just from below.
I don’t have a recording of the sounds, but sitting on that clear floor and hearing the hum of the hive go up and down is very soothing and gently hypnotic.
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