beehive activity digitally projected onto sculptural field installation at glastonbury 2019

at the 2019 glastonbury festival, greenpeace presented a sensorial pavilion produced in collaboration with nottingham-based artist wolfgang buttress. known for an innovative, inclusive, and joyful use of space, the greenpeace field is not just a destination for environmental education, but an experience and sanctuary that each year attracts thousands of festival-goers. this year, an installation titled ‘BEAM’ takes influence from the existential challenges facing the planet with a multi-sensory, immersive, sculptural experience.

all images © mark hadden

accelerometers, or vibration sensors, have been implemented to measure the activity of black bee colonies living near glastonbury — a rural town in south-west england. these live signals are projected to a timber installation where they are expressed through light and sound. algorithms are used to convert these vibrational signals into lighting and sound effects to allow the life of the bee colony to be sensorially experienced in real time.

the digital elements of the greenpeace field BEAM at glastonbury 2019 were designed by wolfgang buttress in collaboration with creative digital studio squint/opera and RES. thermal imagery and MRI scans of beehive activity were used as part of the generative and immersive visual experience. these visuals are complemented by a fluid and continually changing soundscape based on pre-recorded bee sounds and harmonious stems.

project info:

project title: BEAM

organization: greenpeace

design: wolfgang buttress

collaborators: squint/opera and RES

location: glastonbury festival, 2019

photography: mark hadden