Immersive experience, Olfactory art & design

Far Out Flowers

Posted by tammyburnstock on

Far Out Flowers (2023) is an interactive, public art installation that reimagines the connection between children and the natural world. This installation, first introduced at Play Manly, features an ensemble of fantastical flowers: an alien orchid, radiating a tropical piña colada aroma; touch-inviting cacti with playful hints of caramel popcorn and raspberries; and vines, refreshing the air with lemon-scented zest. The scented flowers, constructed from recycled materials, beckon passersby into an imaginative space where nature transcends its contemporary confine. Far Out Flowers bridges the chasm between art, nature, and urban environments, particularly emphasizing the child’s experience. The goal is to evoke wonder, foster tactile and olfactory explorations, and stimulate conversations about nature’s juxtaposition within man-made landscapes.
Thank you to Mandala Social, The Shift, and Northern Beaches Council.

Production Year: 2023
Team: Tammy Burnstock, Jocelyn Fullerton from Cult of Scent (fragrances), Dina Burnstock (vines), Jilian Waters (alien orchid), Michelle French (tactile cacti).

Exhibited at:
ROAM Penrith, Penrith, Australia
Play Manly, Sydney, Australia. Video documentation at Play Manly’s Secret Garden.

A child holds and smells the lemon-scented red flowers.
A hanging basket of cascading lemon-scented vines… Flower by Dina Burnstock. Photograph by Andrew Hempsall, 2023.
A young child approaches one of the fragrant flowers.
The vines’ fragrance and vibrant flowers draw audiences to engage.
Projections bring the alien orchids to life at night in Play Manly's Secret Garden.
Jillian Waters unveiling the orchids at Play Manly.
An alien orchid, fangs and tongue out, draws audiences near with its sweet smell.
Alien orchids of otherworldly allure, wafting hints of piña colada to the curious noses that dare approach.
Soft, tactile cacti in a concrete potter set in front of a sandy backdrop.
Tactile cacti wafting the scent of caramel popcorn and raspberry… Cacti by Michelle French.
Two children approach the cacti.
Two children approaching the soft cacti.
In the midst of flowers, a single sign that says "Smell me!" with the drawing of a nose.
Floral vines strewn on the floor.
The floral vines, twisted around an Instagram frame, are sprayed with fragrances.