For this installation, a miniature of the shed was reconstructed at a scale of 1:8, placed next to the original and settled with a bee colony. In each row of honeycombs, a contact microphone was embedded in the wax to pick up the bees’ vibrations. The signals were transmitted in realtime into the large shed, where vibration transducers carried the sounds into the wood. The transducers were arranged to correspond to the microphones in the miniature, so the small scale of the beehive became tangible on a human scale. The shed became an enlarged acoustic model of the hive at 8:1. As a continuous live installation, returning visitors could hear how the colony’s activity changed with the time of day and the weather.

Realized at Klang Moor Schopfe 2019 in Gais, Switzerland.

Design and realization of the model: Anja Schelling, Yvo Corpateaux
Survey and consulation: Johannes Rebsamen (ScanVision)
Bee keeper: Heidi Ziegler, Gais

“You finally hear the bees inside a beehive call and respond – an opulent repertoire” (TAZ)
“The hut becomes a sounding body, the visitor feels like he’s in the middle of the beehive.” (Tagblatt)
“A crackling or patter can be heard, perhaps as if from a great fire. Not threatening, rather cosy.” (Blick)

Making the contact microphones “bee-proof” through wax

Contact microphone embedded in the hive frame

Bee colony living inside the wooden model

Wooden model in the scale of 1:8, placed in front of the original hut

Body shakers attached to the wood inside the hut

Ludwig Berger and Hedi Ziegler (bee keper), photo by Patrick Kessler