Field of Flowers 1 July 30 December 2007

In 2007 I was asked to design and create an interactive art installation that marked the 10th anniversary of Diana, Princess of Wales’s untimely death. The result of this commission was the Field of Flowers - a series of giant flowers that take their inspiration from dandelion seed heads.

During the ten weeks between Diana’s day of birth, 1 July, and the date of her death, 31 August, ten large dandelion clocks (3.5 metres tall with metre wide seed heads) were built and installed in the south garden of Kensington Palace. The inspiration for the flowers came from the concept that folklore says that blowing the seeds of a dandelion carries your thoughts and dreams to your loved ones.

The public were invited to take part in this project by leaving their mark on one of the individual flowers that make up the large dandelion clocks, by gold leafing it.

The structures for the flowers were made by Arcangel metal workers.

“Flowers are a thing of beauty and delicacy which, like human life, swiftly fade. They serve to signify thoughts which cannot be spoken.”