Situated 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...)
