One of the installations of the last edition of FLORA
Cordova it would not be the same without its patios. Those little havens of peace where geraniums and carnations dye our retinas red and the aroma of jasmine and orange blossom anesthetizes us . Is there anyone capable of not succumbing to its spell? Since it was not enough to celebrate her beauty in May, Cordoba's autumn hosts a festival that exalts this flower tradition.
We talk about FLORA International Flower Festival , which for the second time will fill the Andalusian city with visitors from all over the world between October 19 and 28 . Six international artists (Belgium, China, Spain, Japan, UK and Russia) they will decorate iconic six courtyards of Cordoba with original ephemeral floral installations, which can be visited for free.
That's how beautiful Cordoba looked in the first edition of the festival
THE EVENT
Tradition and contemporary art go hand in hand to surprise us with floral installations that will not leave anyone indifferent. “The goal is to position FLORA as a national and international landmark” , tells us the organizer of the event, Chelo Lozano.
The theme proposed in this edition will be the game . “On the one hand it has a very large creative component, a child playing is totally free; and on the other hand, it has an important part of interaction with the public . The artist not only creates something that is contemplated, but the spectator enters the installation”, explains Emilio Ruiz Mateo, artistic director of FLORA.
In addition, as a novelty, **thirteen florists from the province of Córdoba**, apart from creating a bouquet with the flowers used in the facilities, will decorate their windows with a special motif.
THE ARTISTS
Each of the artists comes from a country, but all share a floral culture deeply rooted that they will transmit to us through their works.
By combining different types of natural flowers , will reinterpret the patios of Cordoba and break the limits of the imagination with their peculiar creations. A task that they will have to carry out against the clock: four days will be the time they can dedicate to setting up their installation.
We spoke with Warrior Lola , one of the participating artists, who will create one of her floral still lifes at the Orive's Palace , one of the most captivating Renaissance buildings in the city.
The delicate floral art of Lola Guerrera
“ FLORA It is a festival that brings together my universe: the flowers, the installations and Córdoba as a stage, the land in which I grew up and where Thanks to my grandmother I have learned about caring for plants ”, she tells us enthusiastically Warrior Lola.
Vulnerability and the ephemeral define the DNA of the Cordovan floral artist, who she is counting on the help of the neighbors to collect dry material such as geraniums and bougainvillea to create the installation of it.
“I have grown up reading many science fiction comics , and the aesthetics that I want to recreate through botany revolves around this idea. It was a challenge for me work with live flowers and I'm going to do it with air plants ”, reveals Guerrera.
The Belgian genius who decorated -with peonies, dahlias, carnations, delphiniums and roses- **a Paris palace** for a fashion show Christian Dior in 2012, Mark Cole , will demonstrate his talent in the courtyard of the Mateo Inurria School of Art , a romantic as well as enigmatic space.
Mark Colle decorating the Dior fashion show
“Mark Colle has decided to focus the theme of the festival towards the childhood. He's going to do it with a very nostalgic approach , we could even say that he has a point of horror movie ”, anticipates Emilio Ruiz Mateo, artistic director of FLORA.
the essence of Japan will reach the lands of Cordoba by the hand of Hideyuki Niwa , which with only two types of flowers will fill the central patio of the Potro Inn , a legendary building that appears in literary classics such as Don Quixote by Cervantes or The Fair of the Discreet by Pío Baroja.
Excess, intensity and a clear obsession with the color yellow are the hallmark of the Russian artist Natalia Zhizhko , who will work in a courtyard of the Cordoba Provincial Council where a sundial , designed by architect Rafael de La-Hoz , will be the protagonist of what will probably be one of the star installations.
Only to Sherlovell Yu It could have occurred to him to play with the force of the falling water to create her floral work. The artistic director of Cohim Flower School , an iconic floral school of ** China **, will conquer us with an installation at the source of the Courtyard of the Columns of the Palace of Viana.
A spectacular floral carousel by Natalia Zhizhko
And finally, the English carly rogers , the latest addition, will recreate a bucolic english garden in the courtyard of Archeological Museum . And she will do it in a format never seen before.
THE AWARD
Floral art is an unknown artistic universe and until now it lacked an award of international relevance. For this reason, the festival will award two prizes, 30,000 and 10,000 euros respectively, to the most creative installations. In addition there will also be a third prize that will go to the artist who wins over the public with her ingenuity.
Minimalism defines Sherlovell Yu
"The goal is to position FLORA as a milestone both nationally and internationally," says the organizer of the event, Chelo Lozano.
FLORA will have a jury formed by Rafael Docto r, current director of the Andalusian Center of Photography (CAF) and one of the most important figures in contemporary art in our country; Christopher Woodward , director of The Garden Museum of London , the only British museum dedicated to art, history and garden design; Y Natasha Lisitsa , founder of the Waterlily Pond studio in San Francisco , with which he has already carried out more than 2,000 floral events.
Are you going to miss it?
The initiative has been promoted by Zizai Hotels in collaboration with the City Council of Córdoba. In turn, the organization will have Cervezas Alhambra and the Rafael Botí Foundation as main sponsors.