Sculpture designed to attract visiting insects

8 hours ago

Kirsten RobertsonWiltshire

'Penleigh Queen Bee' will raise awareness of declining bee populations

Brendon Murless A statue which features a woman's face looking up calmly while on a wooden plinth. — 'Penleigh Queen Bee' will raise awareness of declining bee populations

A new sculpture, designed to raise awareness of the world's declining bee population, will help host visiting insects inside its structure.

The new piece of art will be installed at Penleigh Park in Westbury, Wiltshire.

Brendon Murless, an artist from Bridport in Dorset, will use clay, steel and logs to create a 7ft (220cm) sculpture called 'Penleigh Queen Bee' which will sit on an oak plinth and be full of holes for bees to live in.

His aim is to create a "moment of calm" for visitors to Penleigh Park but also "inspire, and offer a moment of reflection on the wonder of bees and how we are connected to them in different ways."

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His design was chosen after a public vote in Westbury, which sought to find a nature-inspired statue for Penleigh Park.

Murless said: "I was lucky enough to win and I'm on it [ the sculpture] as we speak.

"The piece is called Queen Bee to highlight the plight of these pollinators. Wild bee populations are in decline globally, which directly impacts nature as a whole and our food security."

Brendon Murless is crafting the sculpture from his studio in Dorset

Brendon Murless A man smiles softly at the camera on a black backdrop — Brendon Murless is crafting the sculpture from his studio in Dorset

In the back of the Queen Bee's head there will be a stack of mixed logs and stones with holes drilled into them to help encourage homes for masonry bees and solitary bees.

Murless continued: "In folklore, bees are also associated with family, protection and teamwork, which I think connect perfectly with this community project."

Westbury Town Council has worked with Penleigh residents and local schoolchildren on the project to improve the park with additional funding from Wiltshire Council.

Benjamin Griffiths, business development manager at the Town Council, said the sculpture "will be an incredible addition to an already beautiful and much deserving space in Penleigh Park."

He added: "The whole group have worked really hard to make this happen."

Wiltshire Council's public art officer, Ella-mai Robey said the "brilliant" idea to transform Penleigh Park all stemmed from local people.

She added: "Using public art developer contributions to create such a great art project for the community is really exciting."

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