Untitled 3 – 성형 수술 (Cosmetic Surgery)
In my UNTITLED 3 project I would like to manipulate time through the preservation of fresh flowers. I wish to contain the beauty of the flowers and suspend them in time where they are viewed to be their “best” stage. These freshly preserved flowers will be placed with fake flowers such that the viewer will not be able to tell the difference between the two.
This is in reference to the beauty practices of society today whereby as women age, they start turning to practices such as plastic surgery and botox to reverse their ageing process. The process of preserving flowers is similar to that of women who turn to botox injections to reduce their wrinkles.
Thus, I manipulated time through the preservation of flowers, slowing down their ageing process and capturing their beauty at their “best”, most beautiful stage.
Research
Types of Flowers and their symbolisms
Rose: symbolic of love in various forms
White Rose: Innocence and new love
Yellow Rose: Friendship
Daisies: symbolic of innocence and purity
Amaryllis: symbolic of splendid beauty and can be used to indicate worth
Aster: symbolic of patience, elegance and daintiness
Calla lily: symbolic of magnificence and beauty, as well as purity and innocence
Following this,
For my installation I decided to use daisies, amaryllis, aster, calla lily and a variety of dried flowers, symbolic of beauty, elegance, worth, innocence and many more as mentioned above. The beauty of these fake flowers made of plastic is symbolic of plastic surgery pressured by the beauty standards of society which some women wish to achieve.
Sample Arrangement 1
Research on preservation methods of drying flowers
Hanging flowers in ventilated area
easiest and most effective way to dry most flowers
- tie them in small bundles with twine, raffia or ribbons, and hang them upside down, out of direct sunlight in a warm, well-ventilated place
- Bunches should contain one type of flower
- Large flowers are dried individually.
- The leaves stripped as soon as possible after picking (they retain moisture and slow down the drying process)
- CONS: drying period can range from one week to several weeks
- CONS: stems of hung flowers tend to dry unnaturally straight and the flowers become very brittle.
I applied this method
Due to time constraints I used flowers that I had dried previously using this hanging drying method.
Silica gel drying
- dries flowers quickly
- As moisture is absorbed from the flowers, the crystals gradually change colour
- To dry the material, silica gel is spread into a microwave container at 1.5 inches.
- then microwaved at 30 second intervals, Material is then stirred several times while drying.
- Silica gel is especially useful for drying fragile plants and flowers with delicate colours. Flowers that dry best in silica gel are allium, anemone, cornflower, roses, tulip and zinnia
Flowers dried in silica gel must be placed in airtight containers. If a container is not sealed tightly, the silica gel absorbs moisture from the air, and flowers dry too slowly or not at all. A candy tin, plastic container, coffee can, large-mouth jar or any other container with a tight-fitting lid may be used. If no containers with tight lids are available, loose tops should be sealed with tape.
I applied this method
I microwaved my flowers for 2 mins straight on my first attempt.
The flowers came out wrinkly but I loved the effect
However, they also smelled like corn to me but my friend says it smells like vegetable soup with corn.
The result was a popcorn texture on the petals, I believe this method should cooking flowers instead of drying flowers.
On my attempt two, I decided to microwave my gerbera at 30 second intervals instead hoping to achieve a better looking flower.
After 30 seconds,
After 60 seconds,
After 90 seconds,
After 120 seconds,
The flower turned out just as popcorn-like as the first one… It has a vintage effect
Both methods of microwaving at 2 minutes straight and at 30 second intervals achieved the same effect, thus, I decided to be time-efficient and microwaved my carnations at 2 minutes straight.
Pressed
- pressed Floral Preservation involves pressing the flowers, using many different types of presses, depending on the flower type
- The flower is then framed in a flat frame, to hang on the wall
- Vacuum sealing the art is recommended and the use of Museum Quality glass with a UV Factor of 97% to ensure the colours last.
I did not go with this method as I did not want flat flowers.
Preservation in a resin pour
- allows for flowers like roses to be preserved in a clear transparent mould
- great choice for ornamental preservation of flowers
Two separate resin elements are mixed in equal proportions and poured into a silicone mould, often in an ice cube shape, with the flower inserted. With each pour, a heat gun is used to remove air bubbles that form at the surface of the pour. Those attempting a resin pour preservation are recommended to wear a respirator and gloves as a resin pour can give off fumes and also a considerable amount of heat.
I did not go with this method as I wanted my flowers to be free and unconstrained by a space.
Freeze drying
Freeze dried flowers are fresh flowers that have been specially dried to preserve their natural shape and colour. Freeze drying is accomplished by a process called sublimation. It requires a special freeze-drying machine.
It involves first freezing the flowers at 100K for at least 12 hours. A vacuum pump slowly pulls the moisture out of the flowers as a vapour in one chamber, and then the vapour condenses as ice in another chamber. Because of this process, the shape and natural colour of the flower is maintained. It has been found that certain flowers retain their colour well despite the fact they have been freeze-dried. Apparently, such flowers retain their colour due to the tissue composition of the petals, leaves, and the like. Carnations, African violets, roses, asparagus and other ferns, and baby’s breath exhibit good colour retention notwithstanding the dehydration during the freeze-drying process. Those floral pieces which are either dull or fade from dehydration may be given colour by utilisation of a florist’s spray tint. This spray colouring restores the lost colour which, in the sealed environment of the glass container of the final product, retains its given colour along with the natural colour of the other pieces.
I did not go with this method as I do not have a freezer that can go up to 100k
Ideation of arrangement of flowers
ideas : https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/plants-and-flowers-display-ideas
- Hanging from ceiling
- Blooming from random objects around the school
- In a bouquet
- In a structure
- From a vase
- One of my first ideations was to have flowers blooming out of an object of technology as cosmetic surgery became more widely popular with the rise of technology and society’s exposure to unrealistic beauty standards brought about by social media
This idea was not carried out due to the lack of available computer.
2) Another ideation I had was to hang flowers individually overhead with each flower attached to invisible string as seen from Rebecca Louise Law’s work. This idea was not ideal as it would be hard to blend the fake flowers together with the preserved flowers. The gap between each flower made the difference between them much more obvious
3) My ideal chosen arrangement at first was having flowers attached to wire sticks onto a wire mesh which would then be onto grass patch such that it looked as if the flowers were growing out of the grass.
However, it was clear that this method was not ideal. The white grid can still be clearly seen amidst the grass and there was no grass tall enough in the school compound that could be used for this installation.
4) My second ideal arrangement was having a bouquet of flowers all wrapped up beautifully, inspired by beautifully planted “ideal” beauty standards, brought about in plastic surgery marketing strategies.
Firstly, I had to figure out the right arrangement for the flowers.
First arrangement: Preserved Flowers + Fake Flowers
Second Arrangement: Preserved Flowers + Fake Flowers + Microwaved Flowers
After wrapping them up
Semiotics
Fake Flowers -> Plastic Surgery used in achieving ideal beauty
Preserved Flowers -> Flowers that are frozen in time in their pretty state! signifier of botox and other chemical procedures which slow down ageing processes of women, allowing them to “stay beautiful” for longer.
Wrapping -> How this beautiful idea of plastic surgery which enables one to achieve their ideal appearance is promoted to the masses in countries like Korea and Japan.
Red Flowers -> I chose red as it is an attractive eye-catching colour which represents passion. It is also the colour which hints at danger.
Case Studies
Rebecca Louise Law
She uses flowers in her art curated colourful spaces in which the flowers are captured in time, providing spaces for her viewers to enjoy nature. Flowers are her “painting” medium.
Her work
- Site-specific
- Repurposed flowers; nothing is wasted
- At least 6 months of planning including mathematical calculations
- Flowers are wired together
“The Beauty of Decay”, Chandran Gallery, San Fransisco (2016)
“The Hated Flower”, Coningsby Gallery, London (2014)
Flower Flash by Lewis Miller Design
- Denotes spontaneity and swiftness
- Visceral, imperfect and rambunctious, but confident
- Vague plan that might be modified on-site
- Attuned to surroundings and the moment
- New approach to floral design – boisterous, free-form, and a little wild
- Immaculate and total acceptance of improvisation
Applying digital filters on flowers
I also wanted to convey the common practice of white-washing one’s face as seen from kpop idols so I tried using a white-washing filter on the flowers
but it didn’t turn out with the effect I wanted, it just looks like any filtered image.
Thus, I abandoned this idea.
Reflection
It is perfectly normal to preserve the beauty of flowers and people even encourage it. However, there are mixed opinions in procedures like plastic surgery and botox which is especially prominent in the celebrity circle. I personally believe people should not feel ashamed for doing what makes them feel more confident and happier. I feel my final product could have related to beauty more. I could have wrapped my flowers in beauty magazines or added a beauty element to it, I wasn’t sure where to find such beauty magazines. Looking at my final product again, maybe I could have added some plastic surgery equipment as part of the bouquet as well such as the syringe or surgical knife.
References
Info links:
https://mymodernmet.com/flower-installation-art-rebecca-louise-law/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_preservation
Photo links:
https://flowermeanings.org/daisy-flower-meaning/
https://laidbackgardener.blog/2019/02/07/how-to-get-an-amaryllis-to-rebloom/
https://www.almanac.com/plant/asters
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/perennials/calla-lily-care/
https://www.lewismillerdesign.com/flower-flash/