In pictures: 18-foot bee sculpture unveiled at Glastonbury 2013

It’s made of over 1,000 empty bottles, 120 hubcaps, four car doors, two bonnets, two disused shopping trolleys and took 900 hours to build. And Ecover’s recycled 18-foot bee sculpture has finally been unveiled at Glastonbury 2013.

Made by artist and designer Ptolemy Elrington, the sculpture’s home (or hive?) for the next few days is at the William’s Green area of the festival, which began on Wednesday.

Its unveiling comes on the same day that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced its intention to implement a nationwide strategy to end the UK honeybee decline.

“Bee Clever [the name of the sculpture] is designed to be a fun and inspiring way to engage with festivalgoers”,  said Clare Allman, head of brand at Ecover, which commissioned the artwork.

“We hope it will inspire people and demonstrate that plastic waste does not always have to be viewed negatively. It is very much a celebration of our commitment to innovation and sustainability and we can’t wait to see people’s reaction to the sculpture.”

See below for images of the sculpture’s unveiling.

Further reading:

Recycled 18-foot bee sculpture to stand among festivalgoers at Glastonbury

Government unveils strategy to end UK bee decline

Festivals play a crucial role in switching on our environmental antennas

Honing festival sustainability: from travel to renewable energy