Orande Mensink
Flowers don’t do borders
In my body of work Flower’s don’t do borders, I investigate the role plants play in the development of ideas of home. Growing up in the Netherlands, I found tulips always reminded me of home; a symbol of Dutch culture. However, tulips have a rich and interesting history that goes beyond what many people may understand about this simple springtime flower. Originating in the mountains of Kazakhstan they later travelled to Persia, China and the Ottoman Empire before being imported to the Netherlands. This project investigates whether feelings of home are transferable through movement. By reflecting on the symbolism of the national flower of my homeland and the history of their journey, I explore my understanding of what home is. In this project I have worked with emulsion lifts, the process of destroying a polaroid to find the hidden second image beneath. Dried petals of tulips, bought in the UK, are placed underneath the emulsion. A metaphor for the tearing away of a former life, of both the flower and the polaroid, to create a new one.