Mon 1st Jul 2019
by The Guardian
BEAM is a sculptural installation by Nottingham artist and CQ Board Member, Wolfgang Buttress, who is well known for his multi award winning Hive sculpture at Kew Gardens. Inspired by the existential challenges facing the pollinators, BEAM is a multi-sensory, immersive, sculptural experience.
Invest NewsSituated in the Greenpeace field near a skate park and a 20ft rave tree lives BEAM, a site-specific wooden sculpture by Wolfgang Buttress that aims to highlight the plight of bees in the wake of the climate crisis. “BEAM is a conversation and symphony between the insect world and us,” Buttress explains, with the centre of the vast wooden structure a – wait for it – hive of soundscapes and flashing lights triggered by a live feed from Worthy Farm’s bee colony. “These live signals are sent to the sculpture via a dedicated internet link,” continues Buttress. “[The] algorithms will be used to convert these vibrational signals into lighting and sound effects, enabling the life of the black bee colony to be visually and aurally felt as a live experience. No two moments will ever be the same.”
If the sound of bees pushed through an ambient filter sounds a bit one-note, then the drones have also been augmented by musicians including Spiritualized, Kelly Owens, Camille Christel, Matt Black and Coldcut. As with most things in Glastonbury, its uses are multipurpose: some are using the central space to do yoga or just escape for a bit, while the giant wooden struts that surround it act as a makeshift maze to get lost in.
It’s also not going anywhere. “I’m delighted that Michael Eavis will keep BEAM as a living bee hotel on his farm so it can be reimagined for Glastonbury,” Buttress says. As the Beat Hotel retires, the bee hotel buzzes to life.
(image source: https://www.theguardian.com)
(image source: https://www.theguardian.com)
(image source: https://www.theguardian.com)
Article by Michael Cragg, The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/mu...)
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