The Flower Carpet, a 1680 square metre artwork made of blossoms that adorn the Grand Place in Brussels every two years, is returning for its 23rd edition tomorrow. The piece of artistry occupies a 70×40 metre surface. It is usually made out of begonias and it takes around 120 volunteers less than 4 hours to carefully place each of the 1 million flowers in the intricate creation.
This year, the carpet was designed by Liège-based street artist, Océane Cornille, and it is an homage the city of Brussels and its Art Nouveau heritage. For this edition, Campine dahlias will be replacing the traditional begonias. For the organisers, the change of flower was an ideal opportunity to rejuvenate the carpet’s image, by proposing a design that departed from the usual codes of previous editions, in order to attract a new audience, while retaining its loyal followers.
Until now, the Flower Carpet motif has been linked to a cultural event, a guest country of honour or an anniversary. “Rhizome”, the theme of this year, has been specially and uniquely designed for the Flower Carpet not only as a nod to Brussels and Art Nouveau, but also a tip of the hat to Street Art, youth and Surrealism.
“In my artistic approach, I draw inspiration from the concept of the plant rhizome to express the complexity and interconnectedness of Brussels. The lines in my work represent the rhizome of plants, but are also a metaphor for the urban rhizome, where neighbourhoods converge and diverge in a complex and dynamic network. Like the roots of a plant, these lines intersect one another and overlap, creating a dense, organic network that reflects the diversity and vitality of Brussels”, explained Océane Cornille, who has adopted the pseudonym of “Whoups”.
The base of the carpet has already been laid down, with the final touches being done tomorrow morning, with the opening at 2:00 pm. While the flowers stay in Grand Place at all times, being freely accessible, the former City Hall building opens to the public for those who want a panoramic view of the work of art. Online tickets, costing €7, have already been sold-out, but some will still be available at the entrance. The city hall will be open only until 6:00 pm on Thursday and from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm from Friday to Sunday, the last day the carpet stays in the square. A light and audio show will accompany the display, every 30 minutes, from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm every evening.
At the same time of the Flower Carpet, “Shops in Bloom” will return for its 4th edition, a walk in 17 stages through various shopping streets in the city centre featuring 3D flower sculptures. The theme of this year’s edition is “Imaginary creatures” and the trail takes about 60 minutes to complete, ending in the Grand Place. It opened on 12 August and will be in place until next Sunday, 25 August.
The first Flower Carpet of Brussels was created in 1971 and has been a present every two years on the Grand-Place since 1986. According to the organisers, the 1971 Flower Carpet was the work of the landscape architect Etienne Stautemas, born in Zottegem in 1927. A graduate of the Horticultural College of Ghent, he began to create flower carpets in the early 1950´s. Simpler, smaller, these “rugs” were primarily composed of begonias which he loved and with which he worked ever since.
