Let's face it: many of us are not averse to eating sweet honey, but for some reason, its main producers, bees, are disliked. No, they are, of course, hard workers and all that, but they sting after all. Not the cutest creatures (although relatively fluffy). And yet, even the most heartless bee anti-fanatics must have become imbued with the problem of this striped tribe: the population of bees around the world is rapidly declining. At this rate, soon we will have to fill our tea exclusively with sugar. So, it is urgent to take some measures. Even if it is through art. Apparently, the designer also morally decided to support beneficial insects. Amy Pliszka … Although her original hive capes project can quite realistically provide them with living space. If you don't mind sharing your own space with a couple of "honey bearers", of course.
It is generally believed that urban bees live twice as hard as their "village" counterparts: the air is not the same, and the diversity of flora is smaller, and, most importantly, it is much more problematic to find a place for a "settlement". Pližka, a young textile artist, could not leave indifferent the "housing problem" of bees. The thought of "homeless" insects touched the graduate of a prestigious college so much Central saint martinthat she decided to help them by creating textile (and really stylish) hives that would at the same time serve as unusual capes for the fair sex. The project was named Bees Beside Us.
To make the bee hives as suitable for habitation as possible, Amy seriously approached the study of the habits and life cycle of striped insects, drawing on the useful experience of beekeeping from the masters of this business.
To create unique hive capes, the designer used only "natural" biodegradable, but at the same time breathable and waterproof materials. The colors and shapes are chosen according to the preferences and tastes of the bees. According to Amy, the design is all about working with the insect's natural cycle and meeting all of its needs.
The first examples of "wearable" bee hives were tested in real conditions. Together with Twickenham Beekeepers Association (western suburb of London) Amy Plijka chose the test subjects - a real bee colony, which was lucky enough to receive the "keys" to the new "residential complex" free of charge. And, judging by the documentary filming, mounted in a small promo clip, the housewarming went off with a bang.
With the help of the Bees Beside Us project, Pližka tried to create a new type of relationship between bees and humans. One question remains: in the harsh reality, would anyone want to provide the bees with a "living space" in their own shawl?