Bee-autiful designs
THE colourful, eye-catching and flamboyant designs that will adorn over 80 huge bee sculptures across Manchester city centre have been unveiled.
Hundreds of regional and national artists have submitted their unique designs hoping to see their work chosen to adorn the giant bee sculptures that will become a citywide public art trail this summer.
The 180 shortlisted designs were unveiled at a private gallery view at Etc Venues, on Portland Street, for the first time. They included playful and quirky nods to Manchester’s most famous icons, historical moments, landmarks and sporting icons.
Among designs competing to be chosen were a Bee Gee bee called Hive Talking, a Hac-Bee-Enda bee celebrating the city’s legendary nightclub, footballing tributes to Sir Matt Buzz-Bee and GeorgeBee Best and Hilda Bugden - celebrating one of Corrie’s most famous characters.
There are also designs celebrating computer scientist Alan Turing, the Suffragette movement that started in the city and even a graphene bee celebrating the ‘wonder material’ discovered in the city. Manchester artist Dave Draws also completed his sculpture live on the night - with his distinctive black and white doodle map style creating Manchester’s suburbs and landmarks around the giant bee’s body.
Businesses and organisations sponsoring the public art trail were faced with the difficult task of choosing a design for their own personal bee from the 180 which were shortlisted at the event.
Only half of the shortlisted designs will go on to be made into 80 of the 1.5m-tall bee sculptures which will be created as part of Bee in the City and they will be ready for public view in the summer when the art trail launches at a number of central Manchester locations.
Sally-Ann Wilkinson, director of Wild in Art, the curators behind the art project, says: “We have had an overwhelming response from artists who want to get involved with Bee in the City. The level of talent in the designs submitted has been really impressive and we are excited to reveal the shortlist to our sponsors.
“There’s a difficult task ahead in choosing which design they want for their bee. I imagine there will be a real buzz in the air as they make their final decisions.” More designs for the sculpture trail