We went to the new downtown experience where you can step into a ‘beehive’

As a huge fan of bees, I was delighted when Liverpool’s World Museum announced that they would be replacing the Return of the Gods exhibition with one on our favorite flower funnel.

Bees: A Story Of Survival opened on May 5 on the second floor of the building and is a unique partnership, World Museum, Liverpool and award-winning artist and sculptor Wolfgang Buttress. Walking through the entrance, you are immediately immersed in another world… a hive.

Dark wood and moody lighting are accentuated by an atmospheric soundtrack by Buttress himself, which underpins the entire exhibition. Beautifully illustrated touchscreens detail everything from the exoskeleton of a bee to the 30,000 species and where they are found around the world.

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Learn the key details from the life cycle of a bee to the roles each insect plays in the hive. But this exhibition is much more than just facts and figures, it really is as promised; a fusion of art, science and technology.

Once through the screen curtains, it is more of an experience than an exhibition. The striking transparent blocks feature the shadows of meadow flowers symbolizing the loss of biodiverse habitats for our bee friends (a 97% loss of wildflower meadows since the 1930s).

Then there are the hive walls, which help you see from a bee’s perspective what it’s like to be an “earth sentinel” while your fellow workers move behind the honeycomb walls to protect and preserve, just like us. should do from the outside. A great deal of thought and precise detailing has been put into visitors right on the flight path of these integral insects.

Watch the flower meadow emerge from the perspective of a flying bee, while the soundscape around you creates an intelligent sensory experience that is both hopeful and devastating as you come to the reality that without these bees our world becomes impossible.

There is also a hexagon-shaped room dedicated to viewing some of the different types of pollen that look abstract and beautifully magnified and swirled. Then there’s the swarm, which is brought to life with ticks of light and sound.

This is a smart, engaging, art-inspired exhibit, and as a regular visitor, it’s one of my favorites. I went with my teenage son who said he enjoyed it and learned about the flesh eating eagle bee.

I have a four year old who wasn’t with us on this occasion, but I think young children will enjoy some of the sensory aspects, although I’m glad I was able to soak them all in for the first time and I’m looking forward to it. to take my little one on the second visit. It can be quite dark in the hive at times, which is not a criticism, it needs to be dark to add atmosphere, but I would advise you to watch your feet.

Although entry to the museum is free, the Bees: A Story Of Survival exhibition costs £12 per adult, £5 for children aged 12-17 and under 12s are free. It will run for a full year until May 2025 and you can book tickets and find out more about it here.

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