IMPORTANT: This artwork can be collected or delivered from November after the conclusion of The House of Floating Flowers exhibition at the Japanese House, Ingham QLD.
Photography by Alex Smee. Image courtesy of the artist and Umbrella Studio Contemporary Art.
Material
copper, brass, acrylic mirror, wood, river stones, hanging wire.
Information
The House of Floating Flowers (Ukibana no ie) is a site-responsive installation by Mari Hirata, developed through a recent artist residency at the Japanese House, Ingham, and presented as part of PUNQ Festival. What might a house remember? What might it dream? The House of Floating Flowers imagines the Japanese House as a living vessel, dreaming through nature, architecture, and memory. Hirata creates new works responding to the spirit of the site, inspired by the house's remarkable journey from Japan to Australia, its floral motifs, intricate timber craftsmanship, surrounding tropical gardens, and layered histories. At the heart of the project is the metaphor of the floating flower: a symbol for the people, stories and cultures that pass through the house, each leaving traces before drifting onward. Like the house itself, these stories continue to evolve through movement, encounter and exchange; connecting Japan, Brisbane, and Ingham across time and distance. Balancing history with imagination, The House of Floating Flowers invites visitors to experience the Japanese House through a new lens - where architecture, nature and memory gently intertwine, and where new stories continue to bloom. Commissioned by Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts and artisan in partnership with The Japanese House Australia.
