Desjardins
Interactive
Beehive

Our goal was to surprise ROM visitors: something unexpected, playful, and worth sharing. Desjardins wanted to grow its presence in Ontario, and partnered with the ROM to do it through the exhibition. Bees survive through collective strength: each one plays a role within a larger colony. That idea resonated with Desjardins, a cooperative built on the same principle. So we designed a hive at human scale, its cells enveloping visitors in a space that feels both institutional and organic. Every visitor who steps inside shapes it, together, as one hive.

The experience unfolds in stages. At rest, the hive breathes: an amber glow pulses slowly, like a heartbeat, drawing visitors in without demanding attention. As soon as the camera detects someone nearby, the rhythm quickens and the light intensifies around them. Their silhouette becomes a glowing honeycomb form inside the hive, and bees swarm around it in a short, choreographed dance. Hidden zones trigger their own animations for visitors who linger and explore. When the space empties, the hive resets, pulsing quietly again, ready for the next visitor.