We are delighted to announce that McQueens Flowers has been commissioned to create not one but two installations for the world’s most revered botanical exhibition - RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The original art pieces will highlight the importance of bee conservation - Honey, I’m Home, an interactive installation will invite visitors to create a bee which will contribute to the evolving hive over the course of the week. The second installation, Per Oculus Apum (Through the Eyes of Bees) is an impressive 20m long by 7m wide tunnel which immerses visitors into the sensory world of a bee.

#SaveTheBees

The interactive and immersive element of both installations asks visitors to consider the crucial role bees play in our ecosystem and the very real plight they face. Central to our education and research in bringing the designs to life has been Dr David Lawson, bee behaviourist at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol.

Honey, I’m Home - The Artisan Area & Tree Tops Area AT99

Devised by the McQueens Flower School team, Honey, I’m Home, appropriately has a hands-on, learning element to the display. The hub of activity will be focused around a beehive where visitors will be invited to create a 3D bee - modeled out of bright yellow Craspedia flowers and dried leaves, which will then be attached to the hive. As the show unfolds throughout the week, the installation will evolve, from being an empty structure to a bee-filled hive - we’re hoping that it will feature 2000 #McQueensBees by the end of the week. Both the design and visitor participation of Honey I’m Home will reinforce the message of the crucial work that bees play in pollination and helping to keep the plant Kingdom alive.

Per Oculus Apum - (Through The Eyes of Bees) - The Tunnel - TUN633

Take on the sensory experiences of a bee in our immersive flower-filled installation. The dramatic 20m long by 7m wide tunnel will be planted with wild, organic bee-friendly flowers - including an upside down lavender field. An oscillating soundscape of electrostatic patters that help guide bees to the flowers will add further to the immersive experience. Scent will contribute another dimension with London permfumer, Miller Harris providing honey fragrance that will waft through the tunnel’s blacked-out area. By having the opportunity to revel in the wonder of a bee’s life we’re anticipating visitors will be inspired into conserving these perfect pollinators.

In the run-up to RHS Chelsea Flower Show we’ll be sharing a more in-depth look at the science behind our bee-friendly installations, information about how you can support environmental causes and exciting collaborations that will put a spotlight on bee conservation.

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- and via our hashtag #McQueensBees.