The 20,000 known species of bee alive today are the product of 120 million years of evolution. They are vital to our planet’s ecosystems and to human existence. But their populations are dwindling. Award-winning artist and sculptor Wolfgang Buttress is known for creating multi-sensory artworks that take inspiration from our evolving relationship with nature, and his latest exhibition, Bees: A Story of Survival, fuses art, science and technology to draw visitors into the world of a bee. Using cutting-edge audio-visual technology, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through immersive rooms as sights, scents and sounds bring our world to life from a bee’s perspective. Sound plays a major role in this exhibition. Martin Bencsik at Nottingham Trent University, UK, who researches how bees communicate, acted as Buttress’s scientific collaborator, contributing to the soundscape that connects visitors to a live beehive. This soundscape constantly changes in response to the activity of the colony. “If the bees are healthy, it means the world is healthy, and sadly that is not the case,” says Buttress. He hopes that these captivating installations will increase our appreciation for bees and boost our concern for their welfare and that of our planet.
Bees: A Story of Survival is at World Museum, Liverpool, UK, until 5 May 2025
Topics:
- art /
- insects /
- exhibition /
- bees