Bloom.

Few weeks ago I came across this very interesting article of an art project that took place in 2003 (yes, I know, such a decade ago). An installation of 28,000 potted flowers were exhibited at a soon-to-be-demolished mental hospital back then. 


Why flowers? Why at a mental hospital? 




(All quotes and images from this point onward are taken from this website) 

Above is the photograph that caught my attention to continue reading the article. Just look at that stretch of beautiful white mums filled up in that corridor. Now that's something you don't see everyday.


"In 2003 a building housing the Massachusetts Mental Health Center (MMHC) was slated for demolition to make way for updated facilities. The closure was a time for reflection and remembrance as the MMHC had been in operation for over 9 decades and had touched countless thousands of patients and employees alike, and the pending demolition presented a unique problem. How does one memorialize a building impossibly rich with a history of both hope and sadness, and do it in a way that reflects not only the past but also the future? And could this memorial be open to the public, not as a speech, or series of informational plaques, but as an experience worthy of they building’s unique story?" 


This beautiful exhibition was opened for visiting for an entire 4 days, countless of visitors (including past patients and employees in the hospital) came and were moved tremendously.


As a reader, I was deeply inspired by such a simple yet meaningful way to remember a place that was once filled with so much sorrow. Flowers symbolize something new and fresh, growth, hope, and a new life. From the first leaf that greeted the sun for the first time, until the many transitions of blooming in life, its growth was full of beauty that comes from within. The artist used this concept in hopes of igniting and bringing hope to the people that walked through the hallways of this building for the last time. There was no need for words or further elaborations, people naturally connected to these blooming creatures through the very sight and scent of it.

Nooks and crannies were decorated with so much life that was never there before. If i could have been there to see it for myself, I cannot imagine how my spirit wouldn't be lifted up. Through this, art was used to touch lives and encourage weary hearts to keep going. Where sadness was replaced with new hopes, closing of one door to open another. Conceptual and colourful, such a beautiful sight for every eye to behold. I admire this project and am truly inspired by the message this piece of art brought about. There was no duplicity, just plainly a sincere and heartfelt art presented in the most beautiful form.