Under the title 'Grown in Britain & Northern Ireland', the UK's response is a stand-out Pavilion, designed by award-winning British artist Wolfgang Buttress. Inspired by pollination and by scientific research developed to monitor the health of beehives by physicist and bee expert Dr. Martin Bencsik, the UK Pavilion highlights the crucial role of pollination in our food supply, drawing attention to issues such as food security and biodiversity.
The UK Pavilion has been developed around the concept of the beehive, with visitors following the dance of the honey bee through a series of landscapes. This unique experience starts with a journey through an orchard, followed by a wildflower meadow and on to a giant aluminium sculpture known as 'the Hive'. This 14-metre-cubed structure uses light and sound to connect the visitor to the activity of a real beehive, immersing the listener in an interwoven, meditative musical composition. The soundscape features musicians who have recorded with artists including Spiritualized, Sigor Ros, Soulsavers, The Orb, Youth and Spring Heel Jack. Representing a unique dialogue between human and honey bee, it provides a constantly changing ambience.
In developing systems to implement the UK Pavilion's soundscape, Hoare Lea worked with Wolfgang Buttress, BDP, Stage One, Dr Martin Bencsik, and programmers Robin Whittaker (TiMax show control) and Andy Coates (feature lighting).
The lattice structure of 'the Hive' integrates a 360° arrangement of carefully placed loudspeakers. These relay particular sounds and triggered musical parts in direct response to the live behaviours of honey bees in beehives located 870 miles away in Nottingham, where a study is developing technology to monitor the health of bees, and so protect an important part of our food chain.
Mike Bedford, Principal, Hoare Lea Intelligent Buildings, explains: "Full range active loudspeakers integrated into the hive structure transport sound horizontally and vertically around the listener. The listening experience has been designed with interaction of sound between zones. As the listener approaches the Hive from the Meadow, for example, low frequency 'bass' sound energy emanating from the Hive floor builds within the meadow soundscape, adding to the visitor's sense of anticipation."
The soundscape is designed to implement movement of sound around the listeners using bespoke programmed, multi-channel space panning techniques, driven by an advanced show controller. The programming follows the time of day and night to reflect changes in bee activity, creating a range of listening experiences in the Pavilion. Using live beehive accelerometer data, the design creates self-authoring soundscape content and a connection between listeners and the bees.
Commenting on the success of the UK Pavilion, Wolfgang Buttress, Artist & Creative Lead, said: "I wanted a simple metaphor to express the importance of what pollinators do. Pollinators are responsible for 30 per cent of the food we eat and the bee is one of the most important of the pollinators. The quality of the listening experiences produced by the audio systems designed by Hoare Lea is crucial in revealing this metaphor, helping to create a space within the hive in which to think and feel. The speakers sound fantastic - the result has surpassed my expectations. The experience is truly immersive."
