Friday, 7 March 2014
A FLORAL DISPLAY A MONARCH COULD LOVE or A SWEEPING DISPLAY
Every two years since 1971, volunteers in Brussels, Belgium have constructed a massive and stunning floral carpet in the towns Grand Place (a UNESCO World Heritage sight). The finished product comes in at just under 20,000 square feet and one million flowers. The design is always different, but the flowers are always begonias. Belgium is the worlds largest producer of the vibrant flowers.
Officially, the first "Floral Carpet" as its present-day form was created in 1971 on the Grand-Place by the landscape architect E. Stautemans. Stautemans had been experimenting with this art form since the early 50s making simple small carpets, more like rugs, mainly consisting of begonias. He very quickly realized that floral carpets would be an excellent vehicle for the promotion of his beloved begonias, which he had always worked with, technically, economically and aesthetically.
This coming year (2010) the floral carpet will be created in Brussels during the second week of August.
The slender thread which links this post and the previous two (Daniel Ost, Vaux-le-Vicomte) is the ornate and stunningly flamboyant influence of traditional French design. In looking at these floral carpet designs, one can they see influence of 17th, 18th century French tapestry and ultimately the French parterre in every design.
Louis still rules!
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