The Joy of Bees - Soho, London, October 2016
Bompas & Parr curated the world’s most extensive art installation dedicated to some of the rarest honeys in the world. A four-floor townhouse in Soho was transformed into a golden hive of activity for Relais & Chateaux, the international hotel group, featuring an immersive experiential art installation and gastronomic tasting of honeys collected from its properties worldwide.
The Joy of Bees included a fragrant indoor garden, a buzzing live honeybee observation hive, honeycomb-inspired contemporary art, honey tasting from around the world led by a honey sommelier, hands-on chef cookery demos and more.
The experience focused on eight honeys produced in extremely low quantities from as far afield as Japan, the US, New Zealand, France, Spain and the UK, allowing guests to appreciate the influence of their respective terroirs.
Tastings were conducted by award-winning honey experts from Bermondsey Street Bees, who directly connected the micro-climates and local geographic traits of Relais & Châteaux with the aromatic and taste profile of each respective honey.
The activation reflected the hotel group's dedication to ecology and sustainability, with many of the properties and hotelkeepers becoming beekeepers, giving these vital pollinators a habitat in which to live, and allowing its chefs to build in the unique attributes of local honeys into their own style of cuisine.
Harry Parr said: “It's all too easy to get blasé about the issues to our very survival posed by the plight of bees. But by creating a unique design experience, focusing on the sheer taste of these eight exotic honeys and collaborating with Relais & Châteaux's chefs, we have put a new sting in the tail of this issue."
All proceeds from ticket sales were donated to The British Beekeeepers Association.