Art Print Iridescence No. 1

Beetles are among the oldest and most fascinating creatures on Earth. Their iridescent shell looks almost like a precious stone and has always led people to see more in them than just a small insect.

In mythology, beetles appear time and again as guardians of treasure, talismans, and symbols of rebirth. In ancient Egypt, Khepri, the god of the rising sun, was depicted as a man with the head of a scarab.

The connection between the beetle and the sun arose from a simple observation. Dung beetles roll balls of dung across the ground and subsequently bury them. Young beetles later hatch from these balls—seemingly out of nowhere. For the ancient Egyptians, this mysterious process became a symbol of creation and rebirth. The movement of the beetle rolling its ball in front of it was simultaneously linked to the sun’s daily journey across the sky.

For our research, we explored the extensive entomological collection of ETH Zurich, which houses around two million insect specimens. We were fascinated by the incredible visual diversity we encountered in the world of beetles.

With "Iridescence," we turn our gaze to the beetle as one of nature’s little jewels. What appears at first glance to be merely a shell, reveals upon closer inspection a world of color, structure, history, and meaning.

• Art print in A3 format, 297 × 420 mm
  
• Risograph print in Zurich, Switzerland
• Lessebo natural paper, 200 g/m²
• Cradle to Cradle Certified® & FSC®-certified paper
• Limited edition: 200 copies
• Swiss Made
• Concept & Design: Bienvenue Studios