Iris Rombouts

Hoe vergroot je het bewustzijn over de milieuproblematiek en de gevolgen daarvan voor de bijenpopulatie zonder als zeurende wereldverbeteraar uit de hoek te komen? Door het brengen van een positief verhaal waarin dit bijzondere insect een glansrijke hoofdrol vertolkt. Dat is precies wat art director Iris Rombouts doet in het kunstboek 'The Poetry of the Bee' dat op 25 oktober verschijnt.

De bij bestuift meer dan 80 procent van alle bloeiende planten en is onontbeerlijk voor onze voedselketen. Met uitsterven bedreigd, is de bij echter ook steeds vaker onderwerp van maatschappelijk debat. Net zo goed is de bij altijd al een bron van inspiratie geweest voor architecten, schrijvers, beeldend kunstenaars en zelfs voor volledige steden.

'The Poetry of the Bee' wordt niet voor niets ingeleid door schrijver en bijenactivist Jeroen Olyslaegers en eert de bij in al zijn bescheiden glorie. Verbeeld door oude meesters en hedendaagse kunstenaars, van Joseph Beuys tot Tomáš Libertiny of Jan Fabre. Bewierookt door Nobelprijswinnaar Maurice Maeterlinck. Ook architecten Le Corbusier en Frank Lloyd Wright lieten zich door de bij inspireren en Wolfgang Buttress bouwde zijn kunstwerk 'The Hive' naar analogie met de bijenkorf. Stéphane Schraenen en Carla Arocha maken in hun werk dan weer vaak gebruik van repetitieve patronen waarvan de perfecte vormen soms doen denken aan een honingraat.

Het boek onderzoekt verder de mythische krachten van de Apis Mellifera en imkers van over de hele wereld laten zien dat een bij veel meer is dan de honing die hij produceert. Verder neemt 'The Poetry of the Bee' je mee naar 'The City of Bees', Manchester, waar bijen worden gehouden op het dak van de kathedraal en waar langdurige werklozen opnieuw aan werk worden geholpen dankzij de bij.

Naast kunst, gedichten en fabelachtige verhalen met de bij als ster van de show, brengt 'The Poetry of the Bee' honingzoete beautytips, recepten en het werk van fotografen zoals Stephen Mattues, Diego Franssens, Filip Van Roe en Wout Hendrickx.

It has long been a dream of art director Iris Rombouts to produce an art book that sheds new light on our familiar surroundings and our daily food in particular. And what better way to do that than with the bee, the most important creature to humans on earth? Not only is this small insect indispensible to our food chain - it pollinates over 80% of all flowering plants and 70 of the top human food crops - but it is also a source of inspiration for architects, writers, artists and even whole cities. This book celebrates the bee in all its humble glory, and does so in a completely original way. With a preface by author Jeroen Olyslaegers.
We see the bee represented by old masters and contemporary artists, by insectobsessed Renaissance man Jan Fabre, by Joseph Beuys and his Honey Pump and by Tomáš Libertiny with his beeswax sculptures. There is the ceramic piece of art 'The Wall' by Carla Arocha and Stéphane Schraenen, with its repetitive structure that reminds of a honeycomb. Fashion, too, is represented: designer Harm Van Zwolle chose the bee as his muse, proving that the beekeeper's outfit can become a covetable piece of clothing.
The book is as multi-faceted as the eye of the bee. It pays homage to Maurice Maeterlinck, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, who tells the most inspiring tales about the life and death of the bee. It explores the mythical powers of the Apis Mellifera, and invites passionate beekeepers from all over the world to share their vision and show that there is much more to the bee than honey. The book also explains how the beehive inspired architects Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright to create stunning buildings that will impress many generations to come. As readers,we explore the feather-light steel building 'The Hive' by Wolfgang Buttress, and travel to Manchester, the city that chose the bee as its symbol and has shown to
be every bit as courageous and resilient as the insect itself. We even climb the roof of the cathedral there, where the resident beekeeper looks after his hives and uses them for social work as well as honey. All these weird and wonderful stories are accompanied by the work of talented photographers such as Stephen Mattues, Diego Franssens, studioEAST, Mark Haddon, Stephen Goodenough, Joao Sousa, Filip Van Roe, Wout Hendrickx and Iris herself. With this book, Iris Rombouts has created a joyful, brilliant mix of stories, photography and art, with the bee as the well-deserved star of the show.

It has long been a dream of art director Iris Rombouts to produce an art book that sheds new light on our familiar surroundings and our daily food in particular. And what better way to do that than with the bee, the most important creature to humans on earth? Not only is this small insect indispensible to our food chain - it pollinates over 80% of all flowering plants and 70 of the top human food crops - but it is also a source of inspiration for architects, writers, artists and even whole cities. This book celebrates the bee in all its humble glory, and does so in a completely original way. With a preface by author Jeroen Olyslaegers.
We see the bee represented by old masters and contemporary artists, by insectobsessed Renaissance man Jan Fabre, by Joseph Beuys and his Honey Pump and by Tomáš Libertiny with his beeswax sculptures. There is the ceramic piece of art 'The Wall' by Carla Arocha and Stéphane Schraenen, with its repetitive structure that reminds of a honeycomb. Fashion, too, is represented: designer Harm Van Zwolle chose the bee as his muse, proving that the beekeeper's outfit can become a covetable piece of clothing.
The book is as multi-faceted as the eye of the bee. It pays homage to Maurice Maeterlinck, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, who tells the most inspiring tales about the life and death of the bee. It explores the mythical powers of the Apis Mellifera, and invites passionate beekeepers from all over the world to share their vision and show that there is much more to the bee than honey. The book also explains how the beehive inspired architects Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright to create stunning buildings that will impress many generations to come. As readers,we explore the feather-light steel building 'The Hive' by Wolfgang Buttress, and travel to Manchester, the city that chose the bee as its symbol and has shown to
be every bit as courageous and resilient as the insect itself. We even climb the roof of the cathedral there, where the resident beekeeper looks after his hives and uses them for social work as well as honey. All these weird and wonderful stories are accompanied by the work of talented photographers such as Stephen Mattues, Diego Franssens, studioEAST, Mark Haddon, Stephen Goodenough, Joao Sousa, Filip Van Roe, Wout Hendrickx and Iris herself. With this book, Iris Rombouts has created a joyful, brilliant mix of stories, photography and art, with the bee as the well-deserved star of the show.