Hitomi Gilliam
LECTURE FOUR NOTES
I chose to create 2 Organic Hanging Designs for this session to be able to also build the narratives that go with the concepts. I focused on…
Design #1 to be an ORGANIC conceptual design pivoting on the hanging/balancing act using a gourd grown in the garden.
Design #2 to be a useful, practical ORGANIC hanging design concept applicable to commercial eventwork.
I felt that both ideas began with critical thinking from the ‘ORGANICS’ perspective first. Secondly, putting the idea through the Elements and Principles lesson of good creative designing. Choosing the Elements of Inspiration first … Then applying Balance, Proportion, Rhythm, Unity… to make the design work. Then finally assessing its applicability…. especially with Design #2 to show that creative design inspired by ART and ORGANICS can have valuable commercial floristic application.
In the end… isn’t it wonderful when what we create, generate creatively… can not only satisfy our own personal mission, taste and appeal… but actually resonate with fellow creatives… other florists…. which then can excite our clients… and continue trickling the excitement to general consumers….
‘ORGANICS’ can potentially become that vision sooner than we ever expected.
ORGANIC HANGING WITH CUCUZZI GOURD
At the very beginning of the year when we were planning what to grow in our garden, we came across several varieties of gourds in the Baker Creek Rare Seed Catalog that interested us. We selected 2 varieties… Cucuzi Serpent Gourds and Birdhouse Gourds. After seeing pics of how long the Cucuzi gourds can get… we planned to grow it for use in my summer floral design. I was dreaming a hanging design using gourd as a balancing element. I wanted to pierce into the gourds with bamboo skewer to be able to cradle flowers in Equisetum water tubes. The plan came through in this design. Some floral experiments are possible only if you can grow your dream!!
The rest of the structure was constructed from #7 Reed and Bamboo skewers made into a curvilinear structure wrapped with Raffia, with water source (Polygonum watertubes) attached. I have enjoyed creating structures with this method because it does not rely multiple tying spots, but more on wedging and wrapping tightly to hold.
As far as supplying water source for the botanicals…. Knowing the longevity quotient of your materials help determine which flowers need to be in the fat Polygonum watertubes, vs. smaller Equisetum tubes. Also knowing that longevity of materials like Tillandsia xerographica, the air plants…. No water source necessary. Also Protea blossoms may or may not need water source, or the Miscanthus sinensis… gauged relative to how long the other featured flower in the design last. Today, a solid knowledge of longevity of botanicals out of water is an important data which can help to determine the ultimate mechanics required for the design to last a certain duration of time. And of course this Organic design is compostable as a whole.
Note: The necessary mechanics used to accommodate the water need adds to the amount of potential pollutants in a non-organic design… such as all the additional plastic water tubes, pieces of floral foam, zipties, etc. that goes into the design which by the way, most often are not retrieved before disposing.
BOTANICAL LIST: Mini Callas (Zantedeschia elliottiana ‘Accent’); Phalaenopsis var.; Clematis integrifolia ‘Amazing Roma’; Protea var. ‘Susana’; Amaranthus caudatus ‘Coral Fountain’; Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus); Chocolate Lace (Daucus carota); Miscanthus sinensis ‘Red Cloud’; Tillandsia xerographica; Accordion Palm or Whaleback (Curculigo capitulata); Love in a Puff Vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum); Monstera deliciosa
STRUCTURE SUPPLY LIST: #7 Reed; Bamboo skewers; IKEA ‘Torka’ Willow sticks; Raffia; Polygonum watertubes; Waxed Hamp string; Cucuzi Gourd
SKETCHES (click to enlarge):
SUSPENDED FLORAL CHIHULY
I am inspired by Art of all disciplines, so needless to say the glass art of Chihuly resonates with its beauty and most importantly with its mechanics. A lot of his glass sculptures are radial design very much like floral design in its construction. He attests to being inspired by botanicals so it seems natural that his art fits so perfectly installed in botanical gardens around the world.
This is an upside down radial vertical…. The core mechanics are the 2 layers of circular reed structures (like the ones I used on the low glass bowl) that allows for radial insertions spraying outward… broad at the top and extending downward and narrowing to create a dynamic hanging. The density of botanical insertions in the top half allows for more secure insertions with each interlocking stem, resulting in an extended suspended finial shape thinning to the longest stem extension to the bottom.
Design like CHIHULY!!
The silhouette of the tapered cone is created with combination of Ornamental Weeping Crabapple branches (stripped of leaves exposing the mini fruits) and thin Polygonum whips attached to the double circular rings downward and crisscrossed attached in multiple connect points.
This style and shape of design is best suited to temporary event work (8 to 12 hour+ duration) so free-stemming method of insertion without water source for hardier botanicals is applicable. Only softer, less hardy flowers (such as the Garden Roses, Clematis, Lisianthus, Stocks, Love in a Puff Vine) require watertubes to keep fresh. This methodology reduces the use of potential pollutants like plastic watertubes in otherwise compostable design. Given that the watertubes used here are organic, the whole design can be disposed of into compost.
Formerly when we were intent on creating shapes of designs like this using foam… created dripping, very heavy hangings. Knowing what we know now, we can create these short term spectacular designs for events which are more easily transportable (light) and with use of more dried materials in the mix (like Pampas Grass and dried hydrangeas) can be even lighter and longer lasting. It becomes an easy, efficient, profitable and an organic compostable design!!
To flower this structure is a joy!!!
BOTANICAL LIST: Garden Rose ‘Miyabi’; Amaranthus caudatus; Stocks (Matthiola incana); Clematis integrifolia ‘Amazing Roma’; Lisianthus ‘Champagne’ (Eustoma russelliana); Yarrow (Achillea millefolia); Pepperberries (Schinus molle); Sansguisorba ‘Pink Tann’; Pennisetum glauca ‘Purple Majesty’; Explosion grass (Panicum elegans); Miscanthus sinensis ‘Red Cloud’; Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum); Millet (Setaria italica); Love in a Puff Vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum); Monstera deliciosa; Agonia flexuosa ‘Burgundy’; Anthurium clarinervium
STRUCTURE SUPPLY LIST: Ornamental Weeping Crabapple (Malus floribunda); Polygonum japonica; #7 Reed; Bamboo skewers; Raffia; Waxed Hemp string; Bongo ties
SKETCHES (click to enlarge):