Bee Pavilion
Floriade, World Horticultural Expo Venlo
April 2012

Design of the exhibition in and around the pavilion for the Dutch Beekeepers Association at the Floriade 2012. The visual communication is strictly conducted by the use of symbols designed by Stijn Segers. Visitors take on the function of bees by collecting nectar and pollen from the appropriate plants. They do this by using a hand scanner and scanning the barcode on labels hanging from blooming plants in the garden. The visitor has to be alert, as some plants do not have nectar, some have no pollen, others are not appropriate or give little. The scanner reads in or distracts points. At the end of the exhibit the visitor receives a note with how much he or she has added to the pot of honey or the amount of fruit grown (pollen helps fruit grow big). The exhibition route simulates the flight route of a bee: low in the garden, high in the trees, into the beehive with sound and light. In the last room international beekeepers talk about their work. We wrote the storyboard and individuals around the world used this guideline to create similar portraits using the same interview questions.

commissioned by:
Nederlandse Bijenhouders Vereniging
in cooperation with:
Werkmannen (BE) and Meier+Moor (NL)