For one night only, as twilight settles over the Shoalhaven, Bundanon’s forecourt becomes a hive. Culinary creative Ismat Awan, Bundanon Executive Chef Douglas Innes-Will and artist Mehwish Iqbal come together for a shared feast celebrating the current exhibition, Bait-al-Nahl – The House of Bees.

In Bait-al-Nahl – The House of Bees, Mehwish Iqbal positions the hive as its central motif. As a structure of shared habitation, production and nurture, it recalls the human world and communities that ebb and flow around the globe through migration and displacement. ‘Bait-al-Nahl’ refers to Qur’anic verse and the role of the bee, which builds its home in the mountains, trees and human structures, producing honey to provide healing for humankind.

Drawing on these themes, Ismat makes food shaped by movement, memory and many kitchens. Each course tells a story of shared heritage and the places that shape us, from the first bite to the last spoonful of honey