Description:

Concept

A story of forest regeneration and biodiversity in New Zealand of land once scared by soil erosion has been manifested for Comvita into a physical object to hero the precious Manuka Honey created by the bees that foraged there.

The Makino First Harvest multi sensory sculpture is a multi layered product combining physical, digital, audio and taste elements to express the symbiosis between the earth and humankind.

The brass sculpture depicts the topography of the land, guarded by majestic mountains and holds ceramic pots forged from its clay and filled with premium Manuka honey.

Each sculpture comes with an individually mixed, limited edition sound journey composed from field recordings of bees and nature.

An NFC chip embedded in the product booklet connects you to a digital experience containing the soundscape as well as the story of the honey, artists and makers process and product care information.

The product was created to be premium and limited edition with only 50 units produced to capture the imaginations of an elite audience in the Middle East and China.

Fit for purpose

Makino is a unified work of art as well as a product with its function multifaceted, designed to be functional, immersive, meditative and ritualistic.

The premium product was created to communicate core brand values and principles in a meaningful, sympathetic and accessible way.

Makino has been constructed using curatorial best of breed natural and traditional materials and methods to create a work that is both timeless and crafted to exacting standards.

Aesthetic

Oceanic and south east asian modernist language was used to create an abstracted representation of the topography of the volcanic plateau at the heart of New Zealand’s North Island, represented in a sculptural brass form.

Authentic textures to connect to the brand’s connection to nature are experienced with the Manuka timber spoon and the ceramic vessels forged from the lands clay.

Pure beeswax used in the finishing of the objects captures the sweet scent of the hive and the pure Manuka honey is savoured with every spoon.

All the senses are stimulated with the addition of the sounds of the land and its creatures delivered as a bespoke sound journey.

Quality

The physical work has been crafted using techniques such as traditional Japanese wood bending, carving, plaster turning and mould making together with more contemporary approaches such as 3d printing and cnc routing.

The music sounds three dimensional when played due to the field recordings being created and mixed binaurally, recorded with a system of microphones inside human-like silicone ears set on a wooden head, to mimic the natural spatial and sonic experience of the location.

Over 1 million native Manuka trees have been planted at Makino to regenerate the native forest and create biodiversity. This sculpture, launched in the New Zealand Pavilion at Dubai World Expo, helped to shine a light on the important role bees play in protecting our ecosystem and the work being done to regenerate forests, protecting them for future generations.