For three days Kyiv spoke the language of flowers
Speaking about the art of decorating mundane daily routine with flowers, St. Petersburg floral designer Vladimir Bermyakov said in his interview with the Stil [Style] magazine, “Flower culture starts when you grow flowers not to make profit of them but to admire them.” Traditionally this is believed to be more characteristic for Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Japan. Considering that not everybody in Ukraine can afford being an aesthete for want of finances, one could assume that the man in the street gradually loses his interest in this aspect of culture. However, this assumption was disproved after visiting the Flower Business Industry Third Specialized International Exhibition.
In fact, our compatriots’ interest in this seemingly pointless type of human activity, growing and arranging flowers, was more than evident. Public excitement did not wane throughout the three days of the exhibition, and one could recognize its visitors even far from the Ukrainian House by the newly purchased exotic plants they were carrying. Though vivid colors are by no means unaccustomed to the Ukrainian eye, the art of making flower compositions by a Dutch maestro amazed the spectators.
Martin van Bergen was not overly modest, calling himself Holland’s best floral designer. He stated that floral arrangement has deep roots in his country. Official flower design schools have existed in the Netherlands for over fifty years. “You need to know everything about flowers, the forms, materials you use, and technique. But all the rest is given to you from on high; you can’t learn it. It’s a gift,” Martin says about his vocation. “I think I was born a floral designer. I became interested in flowers when I was a little boy, working in my parents’ garden.”
Martin’s compositions are not only unusual and capricious; each has an energy of its own. He says he can make virtually anything from flowers, and he likes all kinds of plants and flowers. However, the season is most essential for the artist. For example, he prefers not to work with tulips in the fall, creating his compositions solely of autumn plants and flowers: chrysanthemums, autumn leaves, pumpkins, corn, small berries, and fruits specific to the season. Floral design is as subject to change as any other genre: it follows the trends in clothes and interior design fashion. This affects colors and their combination. In winter dark colors, especially black, combined with white, prevail. Martin mentioned that today film tendencies are very popular: the influence of The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter can be felt in the floral designs as well. Materials like tree roots and combining traditional and exotic flowers create a kind of dreamy and fantastic mood.
Ukraine has a solid basis for developing the art of flower arrangement — recall our arts and crafts or painting, to name but a few. In the view of Tetiana Khomenko, expert at the landscape design sector of the Ekspotsentr- Ukrayina National Complex, the demand for it is growing. Ms. Khomenko states that the special feature of the Ukrainian style in floral design is the minimum of supplementary materials. In comparison with the Dutch, it is more utilitarian, calm, simple, and comprehensible for the Ukrainian mentality. Classical round and triangular bouquets are still popular, while greenish, lilac, and pink shades combined with traditional red, yellow, blue, and white add an original touch to the compositions. In the arranger’s opinion, one can use any material for the floral compositions: leaves, branches, marigold, wildflowers, exotic plants, and more. Even three pink cloves can make people gasp with admiration if a designer gives them fantastic volume and stunning lines. The main thing is inspiration and the creative idea.
