Swarm – a poignant paper art installation

About Swarm paper art installation at Westgate Oxford

A poignant climate paper art project is coming to Westgate Oxford from 01 to 16 April.

The installation, called, was initially trialled at the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair – the UK’s largest fair of its kind. It was commissioned to bring alive the importance of bees in our world and inspire the public to take small positive actions to protect them.

The 10-metre-long artwork will be formed of 700 black and yellow, individually screen-printed, hand-folded origami fortune tellers resembling bees to represent a swarm of bees.

Bees are a significant symbol of the ecological decline facing our planet. And they are at risk of habitat loss, climate change, and exposure to toxic pesticides and diseases.

Swarm was created by the award-winning artist Leonie Bradley in collaboration with Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair. The poignant climate art piece aims to help raise awareness of the vital role of bees in our ecosystem.

It draws on research and insight from scientists at the School of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience at the University of Bristol to help us engage more deeply with the natural world.

Fancy trying your hand at folding?

Between 03 and 10 April (excluding Easter Sunday), anyone visiting Westgate Oxford can go to the free bee-themed gallery, fold their own origami bee and pledge to grow bee-friendly plants and trees around where they live and work.

All the bees made at the workshop will be used to build a second Swarm installation created by the public. Art students from local schools will be on hand in the public gallery, helping the organisers to inspire guests to ‘make a bee and make a pledge’ for the project.

Swarm will be at Leiden Square in Westgate Oxford from 01 to 10 April. The free bee-making workshops will run from 03 to 10 April, excluding Easter Sunday. 

For more information, visit https://westgateoxford.co.uk/

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