Friday, April 15th
by Editor, Soiled and Seeded

Concrete Honey

In response to the global concern for threatened honeybee populations urban bee keeping activities have steadily increased over the years. Both underground and legal beekeepers are setting up hives in backyards, gardens, rooftops and abandoned lots. So, how does the sweet, local, liquid amber fare?

Artist and bee keeper Olivier Darné's honey has won many awards at France's agricultural fairs, for its complex and distinct flavour. Darné's "Miel Beton" or Concrete Honey is dubbed the "urban nectar" of Paris. The artist sets up hives on rooftops across the city's suburbs to produce a honey rich in cultural and social diversity. There have been over 300 different pollen grains identified in the hives. According to Darné, "each district has its own unique honey whose flavor is linked to the environment and lifestyle of its inhabitants.....Miel Béton is the concentration of geographies and histories of a city put into a jar."

With his latest project entitled "Time is Honey" Darné temporarily set up hives in front of Paris' Stock Market. The "Banque du Miel" (Honey Bank) allows individuals to buy into a bee savings account in exchange for the award winning Concrete Honey.
You can learn more about Banque du Miel on Darné's site.

Source: Olivier Darne

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