Phases of a Flower

Phases of a Flower

 ‘Phases of a Flower’ is a set of five individual pieces each with their own symbolic meaning. Together, these individual pieces form one installation piece that becomes the metaphor of my study period at DUT. The installation consists of a set of five sculptural pieces in oxidized copper and sterling silver that realistically resemble 'Magrietjie' flowers in different phases of a life cycle from a bud to a wilting flower. I have made these pieces to mimic nature in a realistic way by incorporating the element of movement into the last three flowers. Movement has allowed this installation to become very tactile and sensory-stimulating to the senses of sight and sound. This installation consists of five flowers:

Bud, Transitioning, Fresh, Mature and Wilting

For this installation, the aim was to realistically recreate a set of five ‘Magrietjie’ flowers in different phases. It is crucial for the flowers to have a realistic or lifelike appearance for these reasons:

• ·         The viewer has to be able to visibly recognize that this installation resembles flowers in different phases based on their subjective meaning.
• ·         I have to re-create the tactile feeling of a flower in my fingertips to resemble the flowers that I played with as a young child.
• ·         The flowers have to capture the metaphor of my five year study period at The Durban University of Technology. 

van der Linden, A (2019) Phases of a flower, Copper and sterling silver flower sculptures.