I find it difficult to comprehend peoples irrational fears, raised in the countryside we were allowed to run free, explore and seek out life. My mother held the belief, that phobias were commonly passed through the generations, monkey see monkey do. Thankfully like most, I can pick up a spider, let a wasp land on my nose and fly away again, walk past a flying pidgeon without flinching. Which is why I was so enraptured when I discovered my usual lunchtime picnic spot had been take over by a swam of bees.
"If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no more pollination... no more men!" Albert Einstein
The art installation which is part of the month long City of London Festival draws attention to the plight of the bee by creating new homes, eight in total around the city where they are free to cultivate, pollenate and continue life. The example I witnessed was situated by St.Pauls, in a rather picturesque drop lawned area. Entrance was via wooden steps next to a fountain where pigeons bathed. The wooden frame house had a fireplace sealed with glass which contained the bees securely, that was until I went by this lunchtime to find the casing destroyed, I am unsure as to what happened to the bees, upon hearing about the project I was excited by the voyuerism element and now it's been taken away, which is a huge shame.
