Flower Show 2014
Having been a Philadelphian for several years now I find it
surprising I had actually never been to the Philadelphia Flower Show, a showcase
of bursting colorful flora in contemporary design. This year I finally made the time to take in
this exhibition of living medium. I have
always worked with painting, drawing, and metalsmithing, but I have never
dappled in the botanical arts.
So I
ventured into the dimly lit convention center with an open mind to be met with a
floor to ceiling floral sculpture. Reminiscent
of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, these structures were saturated in color
and made up of several types of plant life that blended together effortlessly
to give the illusion of soft pillow-like structures. It was
a wonderland of a garden that we could walk through and interact with, a 360 degree installation that keep me in awe
no matter which way I turned my head.
Moving
away from the show-stopping structure that stood immediately in the doorway,
you were able to mill about different exhibitions that all focused on the
floral medium. To the right of the
entrance we were able to look at black and white project concepts jump from the
flat, untelling, restraint of the sketchbook into the tangible universe where
all the facets of its design could be fully appreciated.
What I
really enjoyed of the show were the installations based off of famous artists,
such as Van Gogh, Mondrian, and Kandinsky.
Artists for centuries have drawn inspiration from nature so it was
delightful to see the role reversal and have nature channel these artists. In a similar realm of creativity I was
thrilled to see student work at such a large public show. We always see the polished professionalism of
veteran art works but rarely get to see the humble beginnings of an artist’s
portfolio unless it is sought out at student shows. The student work that particularly drew my
attention was of course the jewelry made out of items found in nature. These works were based off of designers such
as Valentino, Chanel, and Tiffany and Co.
It was incredible to see a vibrant red brooch give the illusion of lace with
the use of a colored skeletal leaf. As
well as the use of painted poppy seeds used to create intricate beaded work in
the series based off of Faberge Eggs.
Another
aspect of the show I appreciated was that they brought it back to gardening
basics of the ostentatious displays in the showroom. In the “PHS Hamilton Horticourt”, there was
just a focus on the beauty of growing healthy happy plants. It was segregated by plant, with information
of how each of the plant was judged. This
was a simple and clean display of the nurturing of nature for those that enjoy
the hobby of gardening and were not there for the avant-garde world of design.
Overall
I was truly impressed by how much was squeezed into the showroom. There was a little bit for everyone, and the
show keep switching gears to keep it fresh and new. I constantly felt like I was switching rooms
when going from display to display because of how different each exhibit
was. One moment I was looking at a
desert themed Subaru display then I turn around and see a Zen inspired bonsai
showcase. I can honestly say that I didn’t
get tired like I do at craft shows because there was no repetition. However,
my criticism of the show was there were a lot of elements that did not fit with
the theme of the show. Such as the
indoor market, I felt was really tasteless to have people selling clothes and
bags at a flower show. It cheapened my
experienced to be corralled right into a pop up market after seeing such
incredible, beautiful, well thought out things.
With that said I did thoroughly enjoy myself and very much do look
forward to next year.
