LAURA MALLOWS
My practice starts with growing. I grow a selection of specifically chosen species from seed and harvest their flowers and seed pods. I use these different colours and textures to make bespoke arrangements and artwork.
“My hanging bouquet plays on the motif of a classic bouquet but also references the process of drying and the ancient practice of gathering wild plants for later use. It is also a play on large Japanese, Korean and Chinese fans which hang above a mantle piece. These bouquets are designed to be seen from one side with a spray of interest.”
Different plants have different qualities. The transparent fragility of Honesty (Lunaria), for instance, or the textured elegance of Amaranth inform how they are used through their structure. In a dried bouquet, the plants have been caught in a moment of beauty and create a different quality and a more sustainable option.
The nearby countryside directly influences my work; from foraging to making temporal sculptural works in the landscape with found materials, such as clay or earth.
I enjoy walking as a method for thinking and making. The repetitive movement helps to form ideas and can sometimes lead to sculptures, woven from materials, found and left in the landscape.
