SINGULARITY
The story of a flower_2022
The Dutch tradition of corso – or parades of vehicles decorated with flowers and fruit – has been added to the Unesco intangible cultural heritage list.
With my studio we collaborated with the Valkenswaard municipality; each student made a different project with the aim of enhancing the parade. The projects were then presented in an event, also organized by the students, in Valkenswaard.
The long-shaped vase has the aim to follow the drying process of a flower that, after it has been cut, can still lay down on a simple, but essential shape made out of ceramic. The flower, after it dried, doesn’t have to be directly thrown away and replaced, but it can stay there for a while. The vase could be given as a gift to the Valkenswaard Museum at the end of the parade, together with a dahlia that will then be replaced every year.
The second shape follows the same concept, but it is more directly connected to the flower parade and to one of the 2.5 million stem – less dahlias that are on the wagons. After the 3 days in which the flowers will be exposed, the volunteers will be rewarded with the vase. They will choose one flower from the wagon, before it’s thrown away, and they will bring it home as a memory.
​
A flower is born, a flower lives, a flower dies. There is a story, a life, behind every flower as there is a story and a life behind every human.
My project is about reminding us of the value of the individual, in a society ruled by mass production and
abundance.
Process
The shape of the vases had to be simple. It had to be the result of my pursuit of simplicity and minimalism, where every part of the object has a role.
As always, at a certain point, I was stuck and the shapes started being the same of the ones before. I practiced with 5 mm white foam; by sewing two parts, a third one was spontaneously created.
Tension was the main modeller of the shape, not my hands; because of that, it was then a challenge to translate it into clay, where every small movement of the hands can leave a mark on the material. I had to be extremely gentle, use as little water as possible but still enough to make sure the clay did not break down.
Valkenswaard flower parade_2018
For the final event, I was in charge of sending all the invitation and emails. To have a bit more fun with it, I made an animated invitation as well.
