Lovers And Flowers

Lovers and Flowers is a photographic concept and wheat paste installation that explores the dichotomy of romance and strife between two lovers. So often in interpersonal relationships, romantic or platonic, we struggle to see beyond our own field of vision - our own feelings. As much as we try (and sometimes not) to see matters of the heart, mind, and soul from another person’s perspective, we can never make it all the way there.

In this project, I used vibrant, living flowers to highlight all the good and positive feelings that are associated with being in love and harmony with another person. In contrast, the use of “dead”/dried flowers is meant to depict the raw “negative” emotions that come along with choosing to share spaces and time with another human. These feelings can often be rooted in poor communication, misunderstandings, and shortsightedness. The models, Candice and Kevin, who are creatives in their own right, pulled from their own life experiences to evoke the feelings that you see here in this project. In each image, either Kevin or Candice’s expressions are obscured by the corresponding flowers to highlight their blindness to the other’s emotions and needs.

Accompanying this photo series is a playlist curated by Kevin, Candice, and myself. The playlist features songs that we believe to embody the jarring, intense, and often contrasting emotions that come along with being in love.

And why wheat paste? As this is my first conceptualized collection of photographs, I found it imperative to have this series not exist only in the digital space but in the real world. Plus, I’ve never really seen photography represented in wheat paste.