4K video installation commissioned by Royal Botanic Gardens Kew for Meadowland at Wakehurst.
14 June to 10 September 2024.
In Visible Light has been inspired by scientific research into ‘bee’ vision and the meadows of Wakehurst as a ‘living laboratory’. Nestled amongst the summer meadows overlooking the Millennium Seed Bank, a 20ft long shipping container has been converted into a mini cinema inviting visitors to leave human perspective behind and consider what the world might look like to the powerful pollinators which the natural world relies on.
The film has been created using a full spectrum camera to investigate the world through a ‘bee vision’ filter stack that ‘sees’ the world between UV and green wavelengths. Combined with scanning electron microscopy of bees and drone footage, In Visible Light explores realms beyond human sight. From the ultra-violets, blues and greens of bee vision through the visible spectrum of humans and beyond into infra red.
The container has been vinyl wrapped in a tessellated hexagonal image of a shingle meadow to reflect the colour spectrum of ‘human vision’ on one side and ‘bee vision’ on the other.
Link here to final film In Visible Light
Credits: Film, video, sound production:Heinrich & Palmer
Drone footage: Tim Maas and Visual Air ©RBG Kew
West African Djembe Drumming: Mohamed Gueye and participants of the Rhythms of the Earth drum workshop held at Wakehurst on 9 May 2024.
Scanning Electron Microscopy undertaken at the Biomedical Imaging Unit (BIU), University of Southampton. Many thanks to the team at the BIU for all their support and to the scientists at RBG Kew: John Adams, Katie Berry, Dr Janine Griffiths-Lee, Dr Carlos Martel and Professor Phil Stevenson.
Vinyl wrap application: CHR Wraps.
