Interactive Seed-shaped pollinator hotels with an AR element spread across the landscape of the Wakehurst Kew botanic gardens, home of the Millenium Seed Bank.
Seed Stories is a an interactive artwork made of a series of sculptures accompanied by an Augmented Reality (AR) application. Each of the four sculptures holds a story about a carefully selected seed and its relationship with pollinators as well as its importance for ours and the planet’s wellbeing. Audiences are invited to download an AR application of the same name and scan the image nested onto each sculpture. The sculptures also serve as pollinator hotels, and are used as scientific objects to gather data on pollinators’ relationships with trees and plants across the botanic gardens of Wakehurst Kew in Sussex, UK.
Watch a short artist interview
The work is made in collaboration with researchers from the Nature Unlocked programme, and in more close collaboration with Dr. Janine Griffiths-Lee, who is a Post-doctoral Research Associate – pollinators at Wakehurst. The Landscape Ecology Programme at Wakehurst: researching the value of UK biodiversity to inform nature-based solutions to critical challenges such as climate change and food security.
The design is inspired by Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank’s (MSB) collection (the world’s largest underground seed bank and conservation resource for diverse wild plant species). Pulejkova’s functional artworks are constructed from untreated marine ply and cedar, materials chosen for their environmental compatibility and natural antifungal and aromatic properties, are bee-friendly and allow the creatures safety from instances of extreme heat during British summers.
By installing pollinator hotels directly into the landscape and aligning them with ongoing scientific research, this project contributes to broader conservation efforts. It offers shelter, promotes biodiversity and acts as a living laboratory for understanding how bees interact with different plants and environments. ‘Seed Stories’ also educates the public, raising awareness of the delicate relationships between pollinators, seeds and the landscape we often take for granted.
The Science Behind the Pods
When I was creating the sculptures and pollinator pods, I was warned that solitary bees may not inhabit these spaces for years, until they deem them fit for a dwelling and ultimately a place for female bees to lay their eggs. To mine and Janine’s absolute delight, we found signs of solitary bees (specifically leafcutter bees) using the pods within the first two weeks of their install. At the end of the pods’ three-month residency at the Wakehurst Kew gardens, Janine and her team extracted many DNA samples of pollen as well as 35 leafcutter bee cocoons, wrapped in leaves. They will keep the cocoons safe until their emergence next June 2026.
The DNA samples of pollen will be sequenced and analysed throughout the winter months, and these results will enable Janine and her team to better understand the wild pollinators’ relationship with the trees and plants in this diverse habitat.
The piece is commissioned by RGB Kew for Seedscapes – a summer exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Millennium Seed Bank taking place across Kew Wakehurst’s gardens, and is made in collaboration with researchers from Kew’s Nature Unlocked programme.
Credits
Concept and Artwork by Kristina Pulejkova
Sculpture Design by Levin Haegele
3D Animation for AR App by Nerian Keywan
App Development by Gabriel Stones
Sound Design by Cameron Naylor
Voice narration by Dr. Janine Griffiths-Lee
Produced by Emily Jones