Rebecca Louise Law’s “Garten” at Bikini Berlin
30,000 suspended, real flowers make for a one-of-a-kind deconstructed garden in this transient art installation
Nothing offers a greater anticipatory nudge toward the summer that awaits than real flowers. In the colder climates of the Northern Hemisphere, flowers have already begun to bloom, but within the Bikini Berlin concept shopping center something more conceptual has taken hold. With copper wire and 30,000 live flowers donated by Tollwasblumenmachen.de—an affiliate of the Flower Council of Holland—London-based artist Rebecca Louise Law created “Garten.” This month-long exhibition is more than photogenic; it’s a thoughtful piece on the impact of flowers and their colors. Bikini Berlin commissioned the site-specific installation to be an inviting addition to their atrium and it does exactly that.
Throughout its duration, the flowers will dry but retain both their color and form—for the most part. Further, floral scents waft forth from the dangling strands. This is just one of a series of installations Law will embark upon this year, and it’s also only one of the commissions/installations Bikini Berlin will unveil. There’s something rather otherworldly afoot, as the arrangements (strung at different heights from a metal fixture) manage to complement and contradict the post-War structure—from the concrete and glass of its facade to the organization within. After the exhibition, no flower will go to waste, either, as Law plans on using them to create permanent pieces.
“Garten” is on show now through 1 May 2016 at Bikini Berlin, Budapester Str 38-50, 10787.
Images courtesy of Bayerische Hausbau, Bikini Berlin
