A few years ago, I turned fifty. It was a milestone I struggled with. I became acutely aware of my own mortality and the invisibility that seems to accompany the aging process. I was likely more than halfway through my life and yet it looked almost nothing like I’d hoped or imagined it would. And as we age, society seems to deem us less and less valuable, and definitely less attractive.

Why is that?
Why is young considered more beautiful than old?
Can aging also be beautiful?
Can it be more beautiful?

Around this time, having only ever dried roses before, I began to experiment with drying other types of flowers and natural materials, and discovered that much of it looks at least as beautiful if not more beautiful in various stages of decay than in life.

For the 56th edition of Les Fêtes de la Saint-Martin, I combined dried flowers and branches with ceramic pieces in their own form of decay. Inspired by Japanese origami and wabi-sabi, each piece in the series of seven was made using an instinctive and improvisational folding technique. This allowed for a dialogue with the material and the creation of torn porcelain in various stages of collapse. Informed by the spirit of the Japanese tea ceremony and respect for all life, ideally one, and at most three flowers and/or branches were specially selected per piece. The flowers were not permanently attached so they could be shifted or replaced according to personal inspiration.

The pieces were acquired by the public on a first-come-first-serve basis, with the most important element of the ‘price’ being a promise: the recipient had to commit to visiting an elderly person they didn’t normally visit and to share with me a short description and/or photo of the experience. The installation of the porcelain/flower pieces was the first step. The artwork could only be fully completed with the support of the audience.

In these very turbulent times, I’d like to shift the definition of success - away from financial gain and onto connection, and encourage more reflection on what it means to age in our society today. My hope is that this project will help to foster connection with ourselves and nature, and most importantly with the experienced, wise souls who are currently too undervalued.

I remain very grateful to everyone who embraced and supported this vision.