This week I was in London for a few days staying with Calicostitch friend Dorothy Tucker. We went to see the Georgia O’Keefe exhibition at Tate Modern and the Opus Anglicanum exhibition at the V&A which was wonderful. Here is a link to the V&A where you will find more information about Opus Anglicanum.
Opus Anglicanum
However, as well exhibitions and the theatre, we also took time to visit Kew Gardens which apart from being an excellent antidote to the city currently has the most amazing installation in the gardens until next year. Somewhere within Kew, the exact site is a closely guarded secret, there is a real hive of bees. Using technology they have constructed this wonderful structure which is covered with LED lights and every time a bee lands in the real hive a light is switched on in the installation. There is a sound track of the bees – they ‘sing’ in the key of C apparently – and a soundtrack has been made incorporating the sounds from the hive and specially written music. It was very beautiful and peaceful standing within the Hive and listening to these gentle sounds (apart from the children running around that is, half term) and I recommend anyone to visit while it is open. There were also sounding posts where you gripped between your teeth a small piece of wood, like the tea stirrers you are given in some outlets, sticking the other end into a slot in the sound post and you can hear the bees in the real hive through your cheek bones! I kid you not.
The whole visit was most enjoyable and marks the start of the new beginnings in our house. I will be concentrating my teaching on workshops and day schools now that I have stopped teaching C&G but I am also looking forward to producing more of my own work. The TSG has a big project coming up next Spring so this blog will keep you in touch with my progress.
Anyway, here are a few photographs of The Hive, Kew Gardens, London.
The Hive, Kew Gardens
Inside looking out
Looking up and seeing the lights flicker on
the occulus
calicostitch 