Each spring, more than 7 million flowers bloom in the garden of The Netherlands’s Keukenhof. And the 73rd edition of Keukenhof will start on Thursday 24 March 2022! The flowering park remained closed in 2020 as a result of the lockdown, and in 2021 the park was only allowed to open as a test for six days. But this year we can fully enjoy all the magic again. Are you a flower and plant lover? Then it’s definitely worth taking a trip to Keukenhof!

Keukenhof 2022

In the past 72 years Keukenhof has grown into a worldwide concept. This year, the flower exhibition will be open from March 24 to May 15. So you have more than 7 weeks to visit this spectacle of 320,000 m2 of flowers! Keukenhof displays flowers and blooming plants not only outside, but also inside. In the Beatrix Pavilion you can enjoy Orchids and Anthuriums in a surprisingly colorful decor.

 

Theme: Flower Classics

Every year the flower exhibition has a theme, from which the designs of the gardens and flower shows are inspired. This year, the theme will be Flower Classics. After two years of absence, the flowering park wants to return to a classic and timeless theme. It also is a reference to art. “Flowers are classic symbols used in the arts for centuries. As is apparent in several works on view at the Mauritshuis. Replicas of a number of these will be on show at Keukenhof for visitors to admire,” says director Bart Siemerink. Keukenhof will feature replicas of several paintings from the Mauritshuis, including Johannes Vermeer’s most famous painting, Girl with Pearl Earring. The impossible bouquet, consisting of flowers that all bloom at different times of the year, will also be brought to life!

Practical information

Keukenhof is open from Thursday 24 March to Sunday 15 May 2022 from 8:00 am – 7:30 pm. More information and tickets can be found on their website.

Address:
Station road 166A
2161 AM Lisse

Floriade Expo 2022 will take place from April 14 to October 9 in Almere, centrally located in The Netherlands. At this international horticulture exhibition, you can enjoy greenery and discover solutions from national and international innovators that make our cities more fun, more beautiful and more sustainable. You will also enjoy the scent and color of flowers, plants, vegetables and fruit. Floriade only takes place once every 10 years, so make sure you don’t miss it!

Activities during Floriade

To showcase the diversity of the Orchid range, we organize various activities during Floriade Expo 2022. For example, in The Green House you’ll find an Orchid Garden with an Orchid Room, that you can experience through a VR experience. On the International Day of the Orchid, Thursday September 1, girls covered in orchids will walk around, writing nice compliments for everyone! Besides that, you can take a new profile picture in front of the orchid selfie wall.

There will be various workshops and demonstrations with Orchids, where you will learn everything about it. Such as care tips, facts and different species. Do you want to attend this? Then keep an eye on the dates for the workshops and demonstrations:

• Saturday April 16 – Arranger Marloes Joore
• Saturday May 7 – Arranger Marloes Joore
• Saturday June 4 – Arranger Marloes Joore
• Thursday September 1 – Arranger Romeo Sommers

 

The time schedule is as follows:

10.00 – workshop 1
11.00 – demonstration 1
13.00 – workshop 2
14.00 – demonstration 2
15.00 – workshop 3
16.00 – demonstration 3

Theme: Growing Green Cities

Floriade’s theme in 2022 is Growing Green Cities. Solutions that are necessary to make cities greener, healthier and more fun are presented. A theme that is more important than ever. Because by 2050, 68% of the global population will live in cities, on just 2% of the total earth surface.

Practical information

Floriade Expo 2022 will be open daily from April 14 to October 9, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. More information and tickets can be found at the website.

“I’m never short of inspiration. A child’s toy, a tree, the spectacles that someone’s wearing; I really do get my inspiration from everywhere. Whereby the orchid is a particularly rich source.

Floral artist’ is the description that suits me best. Although I also design and write books. I travel the entire world for Pimdesigned to do that. I trained as a florist, but have never worked in a flower shop. That’s not my thing. It’s too busy for me, and too restrictive. The world is so much richer than just bouquets and floral arrangements. I want to tell a different story from a florist.

For example, I work with a chef to make shows which stimulate all the senses. I design dresses made from natural materials for that. Those creations are presented on the catwalk, and the audience are thereby given matching dishes. You see the dress and you taste the dress.

I designed one of those dresses entirely out of orchids. Simply because that plant intrigues me. I’m dyslectic and that’s a blessing in my business. It makes me strongly visually oriented and I look at shapes and materials differently. Orchids come in innumerable varieties and shapes, and yet they’re never the same. The independent beauty of every flower and of every branch fascinates me tremendously.

I have made two rules for myself. The first is: ‘I want to amaze myself every time’. And the second is: ‘I can make anything I can conceive, otherwise I would never have conceived it’. I’m bursting with ideas and I want to see all of them in front of me. But it’s a challenge to find the time to bring all that inspiration to life!”

Pim van den Akker
floral artist, designer, author

www.pimdesigned.nl

He hails from Japan, developed a lifelong passion for flowers after working at the Tokyo flower market, and is now known as a world-famous flower artist. Meet Azuma Makoto. Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk talked to him in his flower studio Jardin des Fleurs about his life, which is all about flowers 24/7.

FLOWERS (AND ORCHIDS) AS STARS
“I don’t really see any difference between my work as an artist and as the owner of Jardin des Fleurs. My goal is to make people happy with flowers. As an artist, I try to see the potential of flowers and to share something that no one else has ever seen before. In our shop we also do everything to present flowers at their most beautiful. That’s why our shop is located in a basement where the flowers are not affected by sunlight, excessive temperatures or noise. We only wear white, black and grey clothes, because it’s not us but the flowers who are the stars.”

(Source: Azuma Makoto)

CAPTURING THE BEAUTY OF FLOWERS
“Flowers only live for 10 days  – if you compare that to human lifespan, a flower ages ten years in a day. So we only have a very short time to enjoy their beauty, and that’s why I want to capture that beauty. Literally freeze it. If you remove a flower from nature, you as an artist have a responsibility to give it meaning.”

(Source: Azuma Makoto for Hermès)

ICED FLOWERS
“You can capture that beauty of various stages. Do I stop time when the flower is still ‘young’, or do I show what ageing does to a flower? And what happens if I have flowers frozen in ice? For each flower, I explore how I can show it off to its best advantage. I reveal their beauty with technology and creativity. ‘Iced Flowers’ is a good example of that. We freeze the flowers using a special machine so that there are no bubbles in the ice. That keeps the colours of the flowers fresh.”

Azuma and his team have exhibited the Iced Flowers at shows in Japan, but also in cities such as Lille. And he showed them on the catwalk of Dries van Noten’s fashion show (summer 2017).

(Source: Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk/Azuma Makoto)

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FLOWERS
“I also work with fashion, automobile and cosmetics brands that see flowers as a means of communication. It stimulates my creativity when I produce new work in an unfamiliar field. That’s why I enjoy that sort of collaboration. In addition, the second edition of the Encyclopedia of Flowers has just been published. I work with flowers seven days a week, and it means everything to me.”

Source: Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk

 

“It’s the latest trend: collecting. And with orchids you can create a wonderful collection. Just like some people collect watches, you can also collect orchids.

Mixing large and small, variations in leaf shape and colour – the possibilities are endless. So don’t have three identical plants in a row, but five completely different ones. My comparison with watches is not a spurious one: orchids also give you a luxurious and rich feeling. And I think an orchid is always beautiful, whether you have a very expensive specimen or a cheaper variety.

I grew up surrounded by flowers and plants, trained as a master arranger and then went to art college. There you learn a different way of seeing. I use that to show people how beautiful flowers and plants are. I have felt that to be my main mission for the past thirty years: showing flowers and plants in the best possible light.
To do that, my work has included training florists and designing exhibitions in many countries. In recent years the focus has particularly been on photography for international campaigns, and I am also working a lot with film and video.

For photoshoots you sometimes need to modify a flower or plant a bit to get the right composition. You can just about get away with removing a leaf from an orchid, but I don’t think you should ever remove a flower. Because I know how much effort it takes the plant to create that flower. With a cyclamen it doesn’t matter – they have so many flowers. But for the orchid that flower is its life’s work; so you need to treat it with care and respect.

At least that’s what I think. Not everyone agrees. I remember an assignment in Iceland. It was at least twenty degrees below zero, but flowers and plants were being carried down the street completely open and exposed. Wrapping was less important; what counted was that people could see what you were bringing!”

Elize Eveleens
Stylist

Co-owner of Klimprodukties (incl. photostyling of flowers and plants)
www.klimprodukties.nl

““My prediction is that edible flowers will be the latest trend in the culinary world. An edible flower as garnish will replace the traditional sprig of parsley.

Flowers and food make a fantastic combination. It’s logical really, since in both cases you’re dealing with natural products. And with two worlds which are all about the experience.

Not everyone realises that flowers and cookery are so closely linked. I found out about it when I was working on the International Food Floral Fashion Show with floral artist Pim van den Akker and fashion designer Aziz Bekkaoui. This is a spectacle of image, light, sound and flavour in which we combine fashion, flowers, plants and food.

I made appetisers to match the most fantastic dresses, including one which incorporated orchids. You can buy edible orchids from culinary wholesalers nowadays. They make a great ingredient – comparable to firm, crispy lettuce.

The show was a great success. There were 250 guests, and a lot of international fashion and food journalists attended. But there were also ambassadors and people from the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The Netherlands is simply a world class player when it comes to flowers and plants.

I find it fun and educational to combine flowers and plants with the world of cookery. Restaurants could still greatly improve the plant and flower arrangements in their premises. This remains a neglected area. You create atmosphere and a fresh experience with plants as well. And the orchid fits perfectly into the culinary world. It still has a lot more to offer.”

Yuri Verbeek
Chef and author of cookery books

www.yuripim.nl

“As a child, I came into contact with the orchid through botanical educational illustrations. They were beautifully drawn and the shapes were breathtaking, and I wanted to draw like that too!

Once I had completed a course at the Design Academy in Eindhoven, I developed an intuitive way of working. Whether I am designing a wooden sideboard, a chair or a lamp, I love simplicity. Honestly designed products appeal to me a great deal, but I loathe sensationalist styles. And despite the industrial appearance of my designs, my aim is to give them a traditional look.

Plants create a positive change in a person’s living and working environment, and have a demonstrable effect on people’s well-being. They release oxygen, keep the air clean and increase productivity — it’s as simple as that. It is for good reason that you will find an enormous vertical wall of plants in my design studio in Den Bosch, which gives the feel of a sheltered courtyard garden. Surrounding yourself with nature is fantastic.

I lived and worked in Indonesia for a long time. In the jungle of Irian Jaya, the tiger orchid, which has a raceme of up to 3 metres in length, left an overwhelming impression on me; as did the fact that over 25.000 species of orchids grow there, and that those plants already existed 80 million years ago. Isn’t it fascinating that we still have descendants of these plants in our offices and living rooms nowadays?

The challenge in my partnership with the Art of Life project was to get the orchids off the table. Diversity of colour and the shape of the flower make the orchid extremely interesting; it is already a painting in itself. But an orchid hanging in a room is when it’s at its most beautiful. Anyway, at home I always hang orchids at eye level, as this simply makes them even more beautiful to look at.”

Roderick Vos

Designs furniture, tables, fabrics and lamps etc. For the Art of Life project, he designed an orchid holder which hangs from the ceiling on three wires (but can also stand on the table).

www.roderickvos.nl

Shoes and flowerpots are some of the simple products that roll off 3D printers, but the technology is spreading like wildfire. The first homes are being built using 3D printers and the medical industry is experimenting with the technology. There are even 3D printers that are used to… create 3D printers!

Since the year 2000, Finnish designer Janne Kyttanen has been completely engrossed by this technology, and his work can be seen in galleries and museums all over the world — in Rotterdam, Barcelona, Basel and Vienna, but also in Israel, Miami and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Cutlery, tables, lamps, but also clothes and shoes. All the things he produces using the printer is unbelievable.

150 unique pots

On Orchids Day 2014, this versatile artist created the ‘3D Orchid Cloud’ — a reflective display that is several metres tall and contains 150 unique flowerpots that were created using 3D technology. Those pots were filled with 150 different types of orchids, in honour of the vast wealth of colour provided by the orchid. Janne himself expressed it even more pointedly: “I wanted to create something which would reflect all the varieties of orchids in a powerful colour explosion.”

Three questions

The busy designer didn’t have time to write a column himself, but Art of Life was able to ask him three pressing questions:

What is the effect of 3D printing on our daily lives now and what will the effect be in the next five years?
“It affects most industrially produced products on the planet at some stage of their development, so the effect is huge. And it is only expected to grow about 30% per year.”

When developing the 3D Orchid Cloud, you visited an orchid grower. What was the most interesting thing he showed you?
“How scientifically everything was monitored was very intriguing.”

If you had to choose, would you choose natural flowers or 3D flowers?

“I see everything as a wireframe anyway so there is no difference :-)”

Janne Kyttanen
Janne Kyttanen, born in 1974 in Finland, commenced his design studies at the Escola De Disseny, Elisave in Barcelona in 1996. He moved to the Netherlands to further his studies, graduating from The Gerrit Rietveld Academy in the year 2000. As a pioneer in design for 3D printing, Janne has created award-winning collaborations with brands including Hyundai, Asics, Nivea, NIKE, Philips and L’Oréal. He is now Creative Director for 3D Systems, the largest specialist 3D printing company in the world.

www.jannekyttanen.com

3D designs for orchid pots
Below you will find several links to the orchid pots designed by Janne Kyttanen. If you possess a 3D printer or have access to a 3D printer, you can print and use these models yourself.

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

Different technologies and materials for 3D printing
Several 3D printing technologies have been developed, all of which have a slightly different way of building up an object layer by layer. The material that the printer is able to run on also differs depending on the technology. For example, there are machines that are able to print both chocolate and plastic, and others that are only able to build out of a special ceramic powder. The most frequently used materials and technologies are listed below:

Materials:
nylon (polyamide), recycled wood and polymer, ABS (the material from which Lego is also made), PLA (cornstarch-based biodegradable plastic), gold, silver (lost-wax technology), titanium, stainless steel, bronze, brass (lost-wax technology), ceramic

Technologies:

Stereolithography
Stereolithography is a technology that was invented in 1986 by Charles Hull. A laser beam (synthetic resin) hardens the surface of a liquid plastic layer by layer. The hardening takes effect where the laser beam comes into contact with the liquid. Once a layer has been completed, the platform on which the object is standing drops a fraction of a millimetre deeper into the basin. The three-dimensional object is formed by hardening the ultra-thin layers on top of each other.

Fused Deposition Modeling
FDM is a technology where a movable nozzle sprays long, thin lines of thermoplastic material on top of each other. A three-dimensional object is created layer by layer. Most “home” printers use this technology. The company Stratasys develops FDM 3D printers for industrial use.

Selective Laser Sintering
SLS is a technology that builds up plastic objects layer by layer by fusing together a thermoplastic (or metal) powder. A layer of powder is laid on top of another layer of powder each time. After each layer, the powder is melted (sintered) there and then by a laser, hardening it and mixing it with the other layers of powder. This is repeated until an entire 3D object has been created.

ZCorp 
The technology of a ZCorp printer is similar to that of SLS. The particles of powder are not fused together by a laser, but bonded together using a binding agent. The difference is that the material used is significantly less strong (it can best be compared to plaster), but the benefit of ZCorp’s 3D printing technology is that you can print in full colour.

Multi Jet Modeling
MJM is a technology where droplets of molten wax are sprayed on top of each other. Designers’ main use of these rather flimsy models is to visualise complex shapes. A wax plotter builds up the object layer by layer. The head of the plotter may consist of 100 individual wax needles.

Polyjet 
Polyjet sprays minuscule droplets of liquid polymer material onto a platform, layer by layer. Each layer is set by UV light as soon as it has been laid. As a result, it bonds to other layers and hardens immediately. Where necessary, the product is supported by a plastic support material.

Today, Dutch fashion designer Jan Taminiau presented his new collection in the residence of the Dutch Embassy as part of the Couture Week in Paris. This time, the designer consciously chose a different approach which was more personal and intimate and in direct contact with his audience. In addition, a new interactive web application experience was launched during the show that allowed the audience to see the smallest details in close-up on their phones or tablets. Guests were welcomed with the letter below.

I am honoured to present you my new collection today.

In July of this year, I will be celebrating my tenth anniversary as a fashion designer. After almost ten years of traditional catwalk shows, I opted for a more intimate salon presentation, one that allows me to take you on an explorative expedition. It is a personal journey in which I show my passions, like my love for the crafts, and how I enjoy the way everything comes together in a modern couture collection.

The starting points for this collection are a photograph that is very dear to me, an antique scarf, and an orchid. In the photograph from the forties, my grandmother poses as the refined woman she was, in a tough looking biker jacket, ready to conquer the world. The old scarf from India moves me with its modest and simple embroidery. The orchid managed to inspire me with its fragile nerve pattern, which can be recognized in the fine embroidery and craquele leather in some of the dresses of my collection. As you will see, couture is about details.

My world exists as a mix of past and present, technique, and craft. I translate all these elements, including my emotions, in to shapes and materials. That is how I layer my collection, and create a force field between materials: shine versus matte, and hard versus soft. 

Jan Taminiau 

In the new collection, an important role was reserved for the orchid. One can find so many characters in this plant, some are powerful and abundant, others are refined and modest, but all are royal.

While working on his new collection, Jan Taminiau found himself inspired by the orchid. The shapes, the fragile nerve pattern, and the colours were all sources of inspiration. The collection, including two dresses and other pieces inspired by orchids, was presented on 20 January during the Paris Haute Couture fashion show. The dresses symbolise the orchid’s status in the plant kingdom. Not only is the orchid the Queen of Plants; it is also the perfect living fashion and home accessory.

The dress was inspired by the Phalaenopsis, an orchid with a name derived from the Greek words ‘Phalaina’ (moth) and ‘opsis’ (resembling).  The story goes that during one of his trips, Dutch botanist, Dr C.L. Blume, saw a group of butterflies floating almost motionless beside a tree. These turned out to be Phalaenopsis orchids. Jan Taminiau was also inspired by the Vanda Orchid. The Vanda is a rare orchid that does not need any earth to survive. Its roots hang loose in the air or wrap themselves around  trees. Several other pieces in Jan Taminiau’s 2014 collection were inspired by orchids.

Jan Taminiau on the orchid as a muse: “I wanted to discover the possibilities that the orchid has to offer, and be guided by the orchid’s colours, its vein-like structures, and its variegated shades. The orchid not only inspired me, it surprised me. Orchids are every bit as fascinating as the women who walk into my studio.”

Jan Taminiau on the orchid’s beauty as a living accessory: “As with people, an orchid is a living thing that grows more beautiful with time.”

Images JANTAMINIAU
Credits: Duy Vo

Isabelle van Zeijl is an established mid-career international acclaimed artist. Recognized for her mastery to create striking self portraits (with orchids) with depth and meaning who enriches life, possessing lasting and impressionable depth and value. We spoke to her about her passion for the orchid and more. Read the interview below. 

Flowers are a source of inspiration for you. How did that come about?
The first flowers appeared on Earth some 114 million years ago. Much later flowers would play an essential part in the evolution of human consciousness. People felt very attracted to flowers. Flowers were the first thing that they experienced where there was no link with survival, but that offered inspiration. Seeing the beauty in the flower would connect people to their true nature.
Beauty is very important in my work. I believe that if you surround yourself with beauty – and that can be done with art, but also with other objects or with flowers, for example – it has an enormous impact on people’s well-being, increasing their resonance and energy. I mainly find this beauty in nature.

And what do you specifically like about the orchid (Phalaenopsis)?
The most highly coveted of ornamental plants, the delicate and graceful orchid represents love, femininity, beauty and strength. Orchids have a magical quality. The genus Phalaenopsis was identified in 1825 by a Dutch botanist on the island of Java. The story goes that during one of his journeys he saw a group of butterflies practically motionless whirling by a tree. These turned out to be orchids. Like a metaphor for profound change in the cycles of our lives, moving from one state to another, the butterfly’s remarkable shape-shifting journey carries an important message. It’s an inspiring message that teaches us that growth and transformation need not be traumatic or painful, but rather liberating and joyful, a natural part of life’s continuous unfolding. I was also looking for butterflies when I found orchids. My series of photographic self-portraits show me wearing an extraordinary headdress woven from the flowers. The original idea was to use butterflies. It was during a difficult period for me. I was cut off from the world for about six months, going through difficult times. And when I came out I wanted to make a headpiece out of butterflies. For many reasons, butterflies were not suitable for making the piece. So then I was looking for a flower, and intuitively I chose orchids. I always pick the elements and materials on an intuitive basis. Later, when researching the significance of the chosen material, I discovered the botanist’s similar journey. “I thought: I have chosen butterflies!”

What are you most proud of and why?
I am proud when my collectors tell me that they want to surround themselves with beauty and choose my work. That it helps them to become better or to heal. That not only makes me proud, but also intensely grateful.

Your floral artworks are featured in international media. How did that come about? 
The work has appeared on the cover of Harpers Bazaar, but also extensively in Forbeswhen I started working with the orchids from growers’ dumpsters because they had to destroy 80% of their flowers.
At Harpers Bazaar they embrace my art because of its authenticity and multiple layers: the work is not only beautiful to look at, but also contains a meaningful message. I am my own model – I am a woman with a life, not a model onto whom the fashion world projects its unachievable beauty ideals and saddles (young) women with an impossible ideal of beauty, but a woman who shows a new ideal of beauty: be yourself and show who you are and what drives you.

What do you think of the Dutch floriculture sector?
We have an enormously rich culture and history in floriculture, and this abundance of beauty is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for me. Flowers are perhaps appreciated even more internationally than here.

What can we expect from you in the future?
I’m currently working on a series of flowers with healing properties. A series that again shows that nature contains all the answers; an intelligent system from which we still have a great deal to learn.

Do you want to know more about this talented woman or do you want one of these beautiful artworks at home? Visit her website for more information.

Images: Isabelle van Zeijl