Magic Garden – A Bee’s World

That’s Life Art Makers in Collaboration with artist Heather Watson

The key to nature’s therapy is feeling like a tiny part of it, not a master over it. There’s amazing pride in seeing a bee land on a flower you planted—but that’s not your act of creation, it’s your act of joining in. Victoria Coren Mitchell

Bee’s see the world on the ultraviolet light scale, this helps them to see flowers differently to the way humans see them. By seeing in ultraviolet light, the bee can see the flower in a different way and this helps them to see where the best place would be to gather the most nectar. Imagine if you were a little bee and that a flower or a piece of honeycomb would look really big to you.

A honey bee makes half a teaspoon of honey in their lifetime. It takes a small bit of effort on everyone’s part to create something of beauty and substance.

The That’s Life art makers with intellectual disability have been busy bees in preparation for the Magic Garden – A Bee’s World installation. Everyone has worked together, as bees do in the beehive. There was plenty to do. In collaboration with artist Heather Watson, over one hundred people took part in generating materials, artworks and sounds for the installation of the exhibition.

With many thanks to Connacht Packaging, who donated 100 pieces of cardboard to That’s Life. Through their generosity we were able to construct a giant honeycomb wall as a part of the exhibition. You can expect a large scale, colourful and calming sensory exhibition. Come along and join in with this interactive installation and become immersed in A Bee’s World.

A Bee’s World exhibition is a collaboration between That’s Life, Brothers of Charity and GMIT’s community outreach program, the Radius Project. The Radius Project offers graduates of GMIT opportunities to engage in community based projects. This year the GMIT graduate and lead artist on the project is Heather Watson. The exhibition was made possible by funding from the Arts Council of Ireland and Galway City Arts Office. Magic Garden – A Bee’s World is an installation in the Nun’s Island Theatre and will run from the 29th of October to the 4th of November 2021. Open to the general public on the 30th October. Free admission.

Magic Garden – A Bee’s World has brought much magic to That’s Life art makers through lockdown. What a joy it has been for so many people to generate material from home, under Heather’s guidance through zoom sessions and later at face to face workshops. The participant’s paintings and photos now gathered into a collective display make for a deeply moving piece of work, given its context and timing. When we were able to get together again, although with some restrictions, That’s Life music makers and prop-makers could produce again what they do best and created a beautiful atmospheric sound track and a large scale honeycomb for this installation. Magic Garden- a bee’s world is a true expression of our collaborative and creative spirit soothed by nature and the arts in very difficult times. – Claude Madec, That’s Life.

Magic Garden – A Bee’s World has given me an experience as an artist that I could not have imagined. As a recent graduate of GMIT, I am forever grateful to have been offered this opportunity to collaborate with the That’s Life art makers. I have worked with the most delightful group of people. There was so much to learn from their wealth of experience and energetic outlook. The Radius Project, GMIT’s community outreach arts program, enables graduates to lead community based art projects. The Radius Project gives artists a valuable boost to getting their fledgling career off to a flying start. Heather Watson, lead artist on A Bee’s World.

Admission is FREE
Tickets available at the door or advance booking through Eventbrite

Contact: Heather Watson beemagicgarden@gmail.com