Known for her innovative, expressive and eye-catching creations that are both conscious and highly functional, artist and floral designer Amy Thai explores the boundary between art, textiles, sculpture, technology and floristry.
After years of making her own fashion wear as a fashion student and graduate, floral designer and artist Amy Thai had an impulse to create light-as-a-feather sculptural costumes and to set it aglow as exhibited in the Fleurs de Villes FEMME exhibition at The Royal Botanic Gardens. Thai had also spent a large part of her career exploring the intricacies of fashion and delved into the infinite possibilities of craft, technique, garment design, representation and sustainability.
For Return to Nature, commissioned by One Farrer, the floral designer embeds charming florals and foliage into forms and shapes that conceives statuesque, boundary-pushing models. The works are anatomically realistic, resting bodies with natural expression, in concert with Thai’s boldly abstract Parisian style. With concentration of the varieties of each floral and design, she sculpts and highlights each of its components and uses its elements of illumination in the same way she curates, paints, sculptures and sews. The pair of mannequins are formed with natural textures and modern patterns to create fluid movement while bringing a fresh energy into the office space. This interactivity of characters, vibrant florals, and cultural motifs add an intangible visual dimension, effuse warmth and provoke a more dynamic, less static conversation with viewers.
Return to Nature speaks of an awareness of how art can and should be shown in different ways. Thai’s intention for the work is to give a sense of the present, of real time, to visitors and to establish a visual link between the space, the outside and nature. The way the installation is structured reveals how the rapidly industrialising world can be changed in many ways, for the better. More than that, viewers can glean in from these works that provide spaces with a certain structure to explore our love for nature.
Return to Nature will be on display at One Farrer until 30 September.