Floriade sign

 

Anyone visiting the Floriade this year will see a gigantic sculpture standing there from a distance: two waving people covered by a mass of bees, all twelve meters high constructed of corten steel. It is called 'Beehold' and was made by Florentijn Hofman, a cheerful work of art with ominous undertones. Although the two are waving politely, it is unclear whether the passers-by are being greeted or waved goodbye.

They are the silhouettes of an adult and a child, or the generation deemed responsible for the climate problem and the next to inherit the planet. Yet they are not really people: anyone who looks closely will see that the figures-or perhaps just their skin-are made entirely of bees. This ambiguity reflects our limited anthropocentric view of the world: even when beholding thousands of bees, we still primarily recognize our own human species in them. That is a blind spot and a sign of the times, now that insects are increasingly threatened with extinction. Hence the title: 'Beehold' refers on the one hand to 'to behold' and on the other to 'to hold', because we must preserve the bees. Because if they die out, so do we.

In total, this artwork is made up of ten thousand bees and one queen, in a steel that will discolor in the coming years. It looks like a decorative filigree structure, but is grafted onto a real existing trend: bee-bearding. Beekeepers started it in the 19th century. They attached the queen bee in a cage under the chin, which attracted the bee population who descended on their faces and torsos. It grew into stunts for the carnival or - now - for Youtube and other social media. The bees are manipulated, but the bee-bearer suffers the most danger in the process.

The text is taken over from the Dutch Beekeepers Association and the Floriade is a once in ten years event. Opened last week in Almere until October and is dedicated to climate change and what that means for the ecology of our planet. Bieb and I took a look yesterday but I think it is better to postpone the visit a bit because not everything is ready yet. One for Signs2 here.