To maintain our insect population and to stimulate new populations, we must make urban environments flourish. But how can you provide insects with food in places where nothing can grow? How do you help them to find food and how can you tell them that they can eat something they are not used to? Insectology: Food for Buzz tries to answer these questions. Together with scientists, Matilde Boelhouwer researches the behaviour, the health and the growth of insect populations and has developed a series of ever-flowering artificial flowers for the ‘the big 5 populators’. She designed these so that they can function as emergency food provision and bridge the gap to areas with real flowers.

Insectology: Food for Buzz highlights a significant topic and shows how Design Research can give it a boost. Through concrete product development – with a great deal of poetic and aesthetic quality – a wider awareness is achieved, that has a positive impact on urban ecology. The jury commends the design approach that demonstrates different perspectives, through the well thought out details of the flowers, through the collaboration with science and through the continuous character of the research. Perspectives that bear witness to loving modesty. Not the designer, but the insects are in the spotlight here; in question, research and implementation.