​Ultra Violet is an ongoing series of beeswax sculptures depicting nectar-rich plant species favoured by pollinating insects. Rendered in intense blue-violet hues referencing the ultraviolet spectrum visible to bees, the works explore systems of attraction, signalling, and survival operating between plants and pollinators beyond the limits of human perception.

Developed initially for The Sublime Nature of Being in Dubai, curated by Ambika Hinduja Macker, the sculptures were created in response to themes of awe, interconnectedness, and sensory experience within the natural world. Species including globe thistle and spear thistle were studied from living specimens gathered at Dyffryn Gardens near Cardiff and from local allotments, where the artist worked directly from flowers collected at multiple stages of growth.

Constructed using historical wax flower-making techniques, the sculptures represent some of the most technically complex works within Townsend’s practice to date. Thousands of individually formed components are assembled by hand from beeswax, paraffin wax, wire, tissue, and pigment, creating structures that appear simultaneously natural and artificially intensified. Mounted upon reflective gunmetal bases beneath handblown glass covers, the works draw upon the visual language of scientific display, luxury presentation, and botanical collecting.

The series reflects ongoing interests in ecological systems, cultivated beauty, and the ways living organisms compete for attention through colour, pattern, seduction, and signalling. While visually seductive, the sculptures also point toward increasingly fragile relationships between pollinating insects, cultivated landscapes, and the environments they sustain.