Description:

Conversātīo is a book that explores how humans relate to bees as seen through a rich selection of images from the lens of renowned photographer Anne Noble. The eclectic text ranges from classical to contemporary interviews. It addresses a readership curious about bee-related art, ecology, science, literature and their intersections.

This book is the culmination of an 18-month project derived from exhibitions and residencies, through an extensive collaborative process of thinking and decision-making among the three collaborators: photographer, curator and designer.

The visual elements, drawing on a decade of photographic material, cohabit with a collection of texts while retaining a sense of cohesion. Collected writings about bees, educational projects, correspondence between and interviews with beekeepers, and a scientific essay all find their place within the overall work alongside ten years’ photographic oeuvre of bees in myriad contexts and formats.

This book combines a number of design choices intended to make the work into a balanced, beautiful and satisfying object.

The contents page presents the photography and text in parallel structure. Both are linked by a zig-zagging bee flight path, as opposed to a traditional linear layout. As the reader-explorer moves inwards, they find in the midpoint of the book the exhibition which represents the culmination of Noble’s bee journey at the Asia Pacific Triennial in Brisbane. This echoes the visitor experience of opening up the doors of the Cabinet of Wonder to reveal the observation hive within.

The coptic binding makes visible the interior mechanisms of the book assembly. This is appropriate for a work built out of an open process of creation. It comprises multiple paper stocks, using high gloss for the opening photographic work. The cream stock avoids garish white, with a screen printed sakura cloth French fold dust jacket encompassing the whole.

The format of the book is relatively small for its scope, akin to a compendium rather than the trophy coffee-table book. Its intent is to reflect the experience of ‘conversatio’ and give the feeling of an intimate conversation on a range of bee-related topics. This inspires more than a casual perusal, instead prompting a deeper, more considered engagement with the text and images, and inspiring a deeper reflection.