psych flowers

Scanned some flowers ~~~~~~~~~

There is something weirdly entrancing and beautiful about these images; perhaps the off kilter compositions or the fact that dried out petals, leaves,wilting hydrangea and roses (of which there are always a plenty hanging around in my mother's floristry studio) are given a new otherworldly lease of life through the spectral colours and psychedelic blurs. Must try with other materials as the background - wool, fabric, plastic, handmade papers...

'is it possible to be a revolutionary and like flowers?'

Camille Henrot, 'Est-il possible d'être révolutionnaire et d'aimer les fleurs', 2012

i·ke·ba·na /ikəˈbänə/ : The art of Japanese flower arrangement, with formal display according to strict rules.

~ This project is a translation of an entire library into ikebana. According to Japanese tradition, ikebana was originally created to “console the soul”. The form of a piece of ikebana, its colours and the choice of flowers used constitutes a form of language. The function of consoling and language – two aspects shared by books and flowers – are the starting point.

So each piece of ikebana represents the works chosen by the artist following a principle of translation the rules of which have been reinvented, using the evocative power of the Latin and common names of the flowers, the names designed for their commercial exploitation, their pharmacological power or even the history of their travels. Hence the ikebana piece that pays homage to the Discours sur le colonialism [Essay on Colonialism] is made up of a palm tree branch (alma armata) and an upturned tulip (Tulip retroflexa).

The thoughts produced by literature, philosophy or anthropology are an integral part of our daily lives. But, in some ways, they are also “decorative objects”, in this context meaning that they create a frame, a stimulating and comforting environment, just as a library can be. 

From books to flowers, the project highlights our prejudices about what is offensive or inoffensive, about what belongs to the arts of the intellect and to those of the everyday. ~

"The young artist initiates herself into the culture of the ikebana and offers the Palais de Tokyo an ephemeral and delicate work, at once graphic and literary. Each ikebana is partnered with a quote or famous book title, which is like a translation in flowery language ... By combining the collection of flowers and bibliophilic, the artist develops thoughts about the language that overcome the traditional dichotomy between intellectual art and decorative art." via aqnb

& our wild paths intersect

Frank Bruggeman | Faye Toogood | Scholten & Baijings | Maarten Baas

Photographed by Marius W Hansen

COS Magazine No. 10 - The Outside Issue

I was flicking through the latest COS Magazine, and was captivated by the feature that saw five noted designers and artists create a bouquet. Each interpreted in different ways, exploring various ideas; permanence, space, composition, representation, temporality, the urban outdoors...

My favourite is the floral arrangement by Frank Bruggeman - the form and composition, the contrast of textures, the simplicity, the way in which the one stem lies horizontally...

"His imposing installations shown in museums and public spaces often consist of trees, flowers and other organic materials. For this exuberant bouquet, Bruggeman combined dry, wintery materials such as chestnut branches with newly flowering amaryllis and tulips. “It gives one a sense of the season,” says the artist. “Bouquets are living rather than static things, and thus temporary.” Instead of choosing a traditional vase, Bruggeman has made use of a kenzan or ‘spiky frog’, a flower holder from the ikebana practice. A true flora fanatic, Bruggeman is a founding editor of Club Donny, a journal on the personal experience of nature in the urban environment."

Having a mother as a florist, I find myself becoming more and more interested in the construction and the concept of a floral arrangement, as so much of the deliberation over flower, colour and composition choices bear such a similarity to the creative processes when creating any other type of art. These pieces, in their expression of a concept with their sculptural appearance, prove that the artistry of arranging is far from a past time only the village elderly upkeep but a very contemporary creative practice that I believe is only beginning to permeate the art world.

--- title from a song by patten -- go listen -- & watching Drive for like the hundreth time -- the soundtrack is divine -- #midnightmusings