Made specifically for Creekside Discovery Centre, this is the first development of my sculptural bee habitat in an urban environment. The project explores how a habitat made from raw clay can evolve with the weather, offering different nesting opportunities for solitary bees as the material gradually changes.

Made from coarse, unfired clay, the sculpture responds to rain, drying, temperature and erosion. Unlike a conventional bee hotel, it is not designed to remain stable, but to change over time. This transformation is an essential part of the work.

The sculpture explores two potential habitats for solitary bees. Its pre-formed cavities, with different diameters and depths, are designed for cavity-nesting species such as the Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis). As the clay weathers and cracks, new surfaces may also offer nesting opportunities for ground-nesting bees, which excavate their own nests in soil and earth.

The work combines a functional habitat with an open-ended material experiment, exploring how a sculpture might gradually become part of its surroundings and offer new opportunities for urban wildlife.