Hello
September Flower Thoughts
Welcome to this month’s Flower Thoughts. September has me reflecting on some special moments from the recent World Cup of Floral Art in The Netherlands and reiterating some points about dynamic balance.
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Design of the Month - Repeating Ripples
An inviting combination of warm pinks and browns sets the mood for our September Design of the Month - it comes from the hands and creative mind of Sydney based Designer and floristry teacher, Stefanie Smrk-Dansey.
Stefanie has taken inspiration from the form of her rippled container and repeated the effect by including a structure created of small driftwood pieces. With their almost even lengths, cylindrical forms and parallel vertical alignment the pieces combine to reflect the pattern of the vase.
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Orchids and Anthuriums, on a structure or driftwood pieces draw the eye into the composition.
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World Cup 2025 - Experts at Work
By now you have almost certainly seen the results and many photos from the World Cup of Floral Art in The Hague, Netherlands. I know my social media feeds have been full of the action, which has been a continuing source of inspiration, though I was also fortunate enough to be there in person.
To recap the results, the prizes were awarded as follows:
First Place - Tomasz ‘Max’ Kuczyński - Poland
Second Place - Gábor Nagy - Hungary
Third Place - Frédéric Dupré - France
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There were many spectacular designs, and some very interesting approaches to the tasks. It was an amazing opportunity to watch, up close, the design processes of each of the various competitors in action. Competing, especially at this level and under the watchful eye of the public and peers, is a distinct skill in its own right. The experience of some competitors was evident, as was the workflow and organisation of others. While a few worked in a fairly chaotic way, materials and mess around them, others had planned well in advance and plotted out their process and required equipment.
The wearable head decoration, inspired by an outfit of the Dutch fashion designer, Iris Van Herpen, demanded precision and attention to detail, and it was where we saw the work flow skills and comprehensive planning of competitors fully on display.
Two of the designers (Tomasz ‘Max’ Kuczyński - Poland, and Eilin Melkersen - Norway) wore headlamps during the construction phase, enabling them to fully examine the intricacies within which they were working. One designer (Christopher Ernst - Germany) brought an integrated workbench and toolbox set up, with attached lighting, to ensure he could create at an optimum level. The Finnish contestant (Sȁde Alanen) taped individual garlands of materials around the walls of her entire booth, making sure they did not tangle and were readily accessible.
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Poland (top left) and Norway (top right) sporting headlamps to check details. Germany (bottom left) with a fully equipped, mobile work station, and Finland’s booth walls (bottom right) lined with individual garlands at the ready.
The second highest scoring design in the competition (after Poland’s head decoration) was Frédéric Dupré’s interpretation of a traditional Dutch tulip vase. Frédéric created an organic structure shape based on a tulip bulb and adorned it with a sumptuous array of botanical delights - some truly extraordinary plant materials - all with his expert eye for colour harmonisation. It was a privilege to watch the design from structure to final execution.
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A Dutch tulip vase (top left) was the inspiration behind the structure (top center), botanical materials (top right) and the final design (bottom right) for Frédéric Dupré.
The final evening included perhaps the most coordinated, theatrical and technically complex floral demonstration I have ever seen - by Hanneke Frankema and her team of young talents. The production was called Growth with many highlights - including one significant Australian connection. Hanneke started the presentation by explaining that everyone in the flower world has their own origin story and growth with flowers. The theatre darkened and three leading industry figures, one at a time, shared their growth story with flowers - including my Australian colleague, Floral Designer Bart Hassam, seen below.
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Australia's Bart Hassam sharing his story of growth with the World Cup audience.
Photo - Facebook-Thursd
The next World Cup of Floral Art will be held in Spain in 2027.
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Materials are presented to give the impression of a precarious balancing act - dynamic balance - by Kazunori Kuboshima.Photo - Instagram
I have been asked on multiple occasions now about the concept of Dynamic Balance. There are definitions covered in various manuals and handbooks which can be useful. I also covered the topic in the June 2024 Flower Thinkers Facebook Group live session. You can check out the recording here).
When I think about Dynamic Balance I envisage designs which use tension effectively and which exaggerate or push the limits of asymmetry. It’s the result of combining two concepts - visual balance and dynamic energy.
The question of visual balance part invites a vigorous exploration of asymmetry. The ‘dynamic energy’ part embraces constant change, activity, or progress - as per the dictionary definition of ‘dynamic’. Consequently, if you are making the visual balance of a design dynamic, then your goal is to achieve asymmetry that feels exciting, provocative or even dangerous.
Displacement designs often embody a feeling of dynamic balance - they are an excellent vehicle through which to explore the limits of asymmetry.
Descriptive words that further illuminate what dynamic balance can be are - alive, energetic, active, tense, provocative, precarious.
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An asymmetrical design with extended, reaching materials by Gregor Lersch. The placements, structure and stretched proportions create dynamic balance.Photo: Mark Pampling
It’s important that the dynamic energy in the design feels deliberate or controlled, rather than chaotic or random.
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Symmetrical balance, by its very nature, is more passive and static. You can add dynamic lines and contrasts to a symmetrical composition, but it will rarely result in the impact that can be achieved by stretching and contrasting the internal proportions to produce dramatic asymmetry.
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An asymmetrical composition (top) is digitally modified (bottom) to stretch the width and give an even stronger asymmetrical impression - dynamic balance.Photo - Mark Pampling, Photo - Mark Pampling
Experiment with dynamic balance in your own designing - it can elevate a design's impact from just interesting to exciting.
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Thank you for reading our September Flower Thoughts - I hope it has inspired you and stimulated your creative energies. |
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Strong mechanics make dynamic balance possible, with a swathe of dried grasses arching away from the log base. Created using the hammering technique. Created by Mark at Cohim Flower School, Beijing.
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