Music: 'Beautiful'
by Giulio Cercato
by Giulio Cercato
Open to the public on Sunday 30th June 2024, 11am - 3pm, and Saturday 6th July 2024, 1pm - 4pm.
Welcome to The Hive!
Part of our ‘Home’ festival and inspired by the unity of bees, The Hive asks you to reconsider what a home is. It encourages you to see your home and everyday world in a new light.
A home is more than the bricks and mortar that make a house; Feeling at home is about embodying a sense of belonging that is also found in schools, places of worship, community groups, clubs, workplaces, friendship groups, families, neighbourhoods, and countries.
"The real voyage of discovery exists not in seeing new sights
but in looking with new eyes.”
but in looking with new eyes.”
- Marcel Proust
… And of course, once you have new eyes, even the old sights, even your own home, become something different.
The hexagonal cells and canvases of The Hive reflect the richness and interconnectedness of people and families. On the outside, bees and flowers represent the world we venture into each day. Inside the hive, you see a cosy retreat - the sort of home you may be familiar with.
The open cells represent the inclusive nature of a home, which, adorned with flowers, honeycomb patterns, and bees, capture the diversity and individuality within our school community.
Wildflowers by our Prep School children
Our Preparatory School children painted the brightly coloured flowers around the hive's base, cut out and arranged to resemble a wildflower meadow, symbolising our young students' fresh and blossoming potential. Just as wildflowers bring vibrancy and new life to their surroundings, our children, with their youthful energy and creativity, infuse our community with hope and growth.
Bees and flowers by our Year 8 students
The hexagonal canvases created by our older students are found on the outside of the hive, and feature bees and flowers painted over stencilled honeycomb patterns. They represent growth, vitality and the intricate and harmonious balance of nature, mirroring the interconnectedness and collaborative spirit within our community.
Inside The Hive: Drawings by our Year 7 & 8 students
Look inside The Hive and you may feel like you are peering into someone's home, with wallpaper on the walls, a chair, a teapot, teacups, a vase of flowers, and even a small felt cake made by the talented Mrs Dempsey.
The walls display drawings by various members of the Kingsley family, including students in Years 7 and 8, our PE teacher, Mrs Rigney, and Year 13 art scholar, Georgia Rudge. These framed bee drawings pay homage to the busy bees that keep the world's natural beauty alive.
Look a bit closer...
Look through the hexagonal cells again and you may notice a few more things:
Maps on the table represent where we are in the world, in the town and the journeys we make each day or week so that we can interconnect with one another. The streets of Leamington, Warwick and surrounding villages show our main catchment areas, with our hive (i.e., Kingsley!) being right in the centre.
• Black bee lino prints can be found scattered over the wallpaper, carved by Erin Meacher in Year 10.
Kingsley: Our extended home
Each participant in this installation has contributed their unique style, creating a tapestry of shared experiences and creative expression.
The Hive embodies the resilience, adaptability, and collective spirit that define home. Just as Kingsley is a place where we find belonging and support, The Hive celebrates our school as our extended home, nurturing unity and creativity.
Special thanks go to...
The Hive was designed and assembled by Mr Lax, but it would not have been possible without his many helpers. A huge thank you to the following people for their hard work and creative input:
• Ian Roberts, who built the hive's framework
• David Wheeler, whose expert carpentry skills helped to adapt the structure into a hive by building and cutting out hexagons.
• Jo Phillips, whose painting, wallpapering, cutting, sticking, and advice helped enormously in all aspects of the project
• Georgia Rudge, who came back to school gave up several hours of her time to help with the construction of the hive, as well as contributed a drawing of a bee to the collection inside the hive.
• The Prep School teachers who helped their students to paint the wildflowers around the bottom of the structure.
• All the students across the ages whose work is a part of the installation.
Click on the image above to read more about our summer art exhibition.