On World Bee Day, Wolfgang Buttress introduces a soundscape, out today, which combines bee communications and meditative music.

Nearly 10 years ago I was inspired to imagine and subsequently realise a sculpture called The Hive. The artwork was the centrepiece for the UK Pavilion for the World EXPO in Milan, 2015. It was a response to the existential challenges that pollinators and specifically bees were facing due to habitat loss, climate change and the use of pesticides.

The whole project unfolded as a series of serendipitous episodes. I met and subsequently worked with the amazing scientist Professor Martin Benscik whose research into how bees communicate through vibration focused and refined my whole art practice.

I had the idea to use the live vibrational signals of a bee colony to express the energy and life of a bee hive as light and sound. The audience would see, hear and feel the bees. The bees, along with the music collective BE, were co-authors of a responsive and ever changing soundscape. Art and music can make you feel. I wanted to create a sense of empathy; you are more likely to nurture than kill if you love something. An album of the soundscape, called ONE, was released, and was surprisingly successful. It seemed to hit a nerve, encouraging the audience to connect with both themselves, each other and the ‘natural’ world.

_{The Hive at Kew Gardens}

10 years later it would appear that the Honey Bee population is thankfully stabilising due in part to the increase in managed bee hives. This is sadly not the case for many wild bees whose numbers are declining at an alarming rate.

The existential challenges which pollinators were facing 10 years ago are sadly even more pronounced now. This became the focus and reason to curate and realise an exhibition called BEES: a story of survival at the World Museum, Liverpool. The idea is to place bees, with the emphasis on wild bees, at the centre of the experience. I wanted to bring together art, science and sound to tell and express both the wonder and strange beauty of these essential and incredible creatures.

An evolving soundscape, written by Karman Line Collective, the same musicians who wrote ONE, can be experienced within the 8 installations in the show. The essence of this soundscape has been captured in a new record called TO BE, which is released today on World Bee Day.

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‘To Be’ is available now on streaming platforms, or to buy via Bandcamp or your local record shop.

‘BEES: a story of survival’ is on display at the World Museum, Liverpool until 28 September 2025.