Flowers for the Sea at ARTSIDE 2010

Photo credit: Priya Saujani



Flowers for the Sea was a public intervention on the beach at Southend-on-Sea.

The work:
Passers-by that approach an impromptu flower stall are invited to select a flower that they can take to the water's edge and - looking silently out to sea - think of their wish and simultaneously throw the flower into the waves. The work displaces a tradition from Brazil of offering flowers to the sea.

At ARTSIDE:
During the afternoon of 17 July 2010 over 100 participants received flowers which they individually threw into the waves. During it's progress, interest in the action spread around the area by word of mouth and attracted more participants.

The flowers washed up gradually along one stretch of beach.


Thanks:
To Derek's Florist for support and donation of flowers.
And Coexist Arts for organising the ARTSIDE programme, supported by Southend-on-Sea Town Centre Partnership.
And Priya Saujani for working with me on the stall.

Video montage produced by Michaela Freeman at Coexist Arts.
Archive of ARTSIDE 2010 programme