vanessa harden, kevin hill + ben faga: built by...

‘built by…’ is a collaboration between industrial designer kevin hill, concept designer vanessa harden, artist ben faga and well… honeybees! the three came together to create a new design process that allows them to collaborate with the buzzing insects to create bespoke furnishings.

ben faga aligning the spindles along the hiveimage courtesy of vanessa harden

a custom-made ‘playground hive’ was designed, in which the bees can build, attached but separate from their home and nursery. this arrangement allows the ‘built by…’ team to craft furniture without removing the integral structures of the honeycomb.

the beehive playgroundimage courtesy of vanessa harden

the trio’s first venture is an edwardian-styled baby crib. it has been chosen as the inaugural product to reflect the purpose of the honeycomb itself – bees use combs to rear their young. it also symbolizes the hope of a future pairing between humankind and the environment, in an attempt to create products that shape cultural values moving towards a sustainable future. by creating this physical and visual relationship with the bees, the designers believe the crib will foster a form of sensitivity and understanding of the child’s place within the greater ecological organism that is our planet.

checking the honeycomb’s processimage courtesy of vanessa harden

the beehives used in the process are located on the roof of the artists’ studio in london. the bees forage from the local community to source materials needed to create what will eventually become the baby’s crib. the ongoing project embraces the natural process, and will be further developed over the next 12 months, as it transforms into the hive-crafted crib.

busy bees at workimage courtesy of vanessa harden

the first spindle displayed is coated with a metal and composite spray, reflecting the designers’ continuous investigation of solidifying the underlying hive structure. a second spindle illustrates an exploration into the construction of the honeycomb being conducted by the bees themselves.

first spindle on display at designersblock 2010image © designboom

a first phase of ‘built by…’ was exhibited in the selfridges wonder room. the second presentation was recently on show at designersblock during london design week 2010. an early version of the project entitled ‘shrine to humankind: a collaboration between insects and humans’ was also shortlisted as part of the designboom competition ‘design for all’ in collaboration with seoul design foundation.

also on show at designersbock were hand-screen printed wallpaper and wrapping paper with a metallic silver and gold texture printed directly from the honeycomb. alongside the paper was a display of raw, unfiltered honey packaged in amber glass jars, each containing a piece of honeycomb straight from the hive.

image courtesy of vanessa harden