Like old dirt but the structure is new
The erotic statues, radioactive haze, and turmeric-colored sand instill a mix of Giger nightmares and Mead futurism. Gigantic figures in provocative postures combined with the emptiness of the vast location fills this sequence with symbolism and meaning. It’s Ozymandian, a kingdom that was once everything, but is now nothing. The walls of instant fixes and the sex boxes we saw earlier in the city removed the need to pursue fantasies in exotic locales. Why travel when gratification is available instantly?
With the city being abandoned, a small sign of life becomes magnified, leading K to his target.
Bees are connected to much symbolism and meaning; therefore a number of connections can be made here.
From a historical perspective:
In ancient Egypt, they were a symbol of royalty and power
In the Merovingian dynasty, they were a sign of immortality and resurrection
In more modern times:
They are symbolic of a communal existence – the worker bee as part of the hive
they are seen as an essential component to the functioning of other lifeforms
They represent achievement of the impossible dream – seemingly unable to fly due to their physical structure, yet still achieving flight
While all of the above work in extrapolating meaning, the one element which resonates at the deepest level, and aligns with the theme of the film, is that of purpose.
We can see that the bees are working, producing, and united in their aim. They live in pursuit of a shared purpose, despite the desolation that surrounds them.
What we can see here is something which humanity has lost, and Replicants are grasping for in the darkness:
Purpose keeps the nothing out.
Humans, in the eagerness to escape the drudgery of labor, overlooked their need to work.
It provides the worker with a sense of identity, and purpose. Without these things, the drudgery of labor is replaced by the drudgery of boredom. Life becomes focused on the acquisition of pleasure.
Pleasure fades, but effort resonates long after it is over.
This life of pleasure for pleasure’s sake is a one of diminishing returns, resulting in the little death “la petit mort” and an existential malaise that cannot be lifted.
This empire built on pleasure was doomed to collapse, one fantasy at a time. We see the bees working away, surrounded by the detritus of a fallen kingdom, their unified sense of purpose making them immune to the magnificent desolation that surrounds them.
Though the desert sequence is short, its impact is resounding, and it precedes the meeting which sets the final act in motion.