The cracks which appear and the things that grow from them
21 May-25 May 2024
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024
In May 2024, we created a sculptural installation for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024.
The piece was titled The cracks which appear and the things that grow from them and was an installation of botanically dyed silk, fresh and dried flowers, glass, and jute, all of which were suspended from a metal armature to create a gravity defying garden of delights, with flowers growing from a surface of exquisite silk drapery which was dyed with the pigments of the flowers it displays.
The sculpture deliberately exposed the mechanics that supported and hydrated the flowers through an intricate network of glass to highlight the devotion, ingenuity, and care that goes into a sustainable floristry practice. The installation combined many of our shared passions and collaborative practices; botanical dying, growing flowers, contemporary floral design, textiles, and sculpture. The piece reframed a zero-waste approach to floristry, to one that extends beyond practicality and function, and became part of the affective architecture of the construction and the beauty of the sculpture as a whole live entity.
The title of the piece The cracks that appear, and the things that grow from them is a nod to paying attention. When you notice the weeds and flowers that grow between the cracks of concrete in an urban street, it is a reminder of other peripheral ecosystems that thrive in small ways in tandem with, or despite, us. These hopeful little cracks represent spaces for change, methods of undoing, shedding old ways, and to the much needed change within our industry. It is about the work we are undertaking to pave a space for sowing seeds, in order for a new world to grow from cracked earth and uneven ground. It is a statement against the myths of separation that hinder us from being able to see one another and the earth as kin. Flowers are forms of knowledge, with each one containing a blueprint of time, environment, place, and history; a material force and living representation of embracing new beginnings.
All of the flowers were grown on by us on our flower farm in South Lanarkshire, near Glasgow and were transported to London. The exhibit showcased the best of the month of May on our farm with ranunculus, pansies, aquilegia, fritillaries, sweet rocket, bluebells, iris, cow parsley, poppies, lupins, buttercups, and allium. The silk panels were dyed with nettles and iris flowers.
With special thanks to our sponsor Equigrow for their support for this exhibit.