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Event
Pandoras Box - a one night floral art, light, and sound event b
Floral artists, Arthur Williams and Amie Oakley will take over Leon Gallery to create an avante-garde floral pop-up installation experience with light, sound, and music by f-ether.
Artist Statement:
My work is all about the tension of opposites. Man versus nature, soft opposing harsh new life sprouting from the remnants of last years harvest. My medium is botanical, fresh floral materials and dried branches. I often use people in my work to give voice and movement to the flowers. Creating still life performances where I selfishly incorporate models into floral moments.
I draw inspiration from tribal cultures and European myth, weaving stories into my work, giving people a reference point in which to continue the story for themselves. The ephemeral nature of my work forces me to push the boundaries of both my materials and the traditional conceptions of what floral art/design can be.
Nothing that comes from nature can be untrue.
Arthur Williams Bio:
Arthur Williams AIFD EMC CFD CPF is known for his floral headdresses and the use of natural tension in his work. With a background in gardening, sculpture, and photography, he entered the floral industry in 1996, and opened his own business, Babylon Floral Design, Inc., in 2004. One of the first seven people in Colorado to become a Certified Professional Florist, he is also a Certified Floral Designer at the national level. Arthur was inducted into the American Institute of Floral Designers in 2015 and just completed EMC this past October in Belgium.
Active with the Floral Association of the Rockies and Ikebana International, Chapter 66, Arthur won the 2010 and 2015 Rocky Mountain Cup, making him Colorado Florist of the Year. The Fashion Group International of Denver gave him top honors in the Floral/Fragrance category of their Rising Star competition in 2013. Arthur has been featured in the 2012|13 and 2014|15 2016/17 editions of International Floral Art, made the Spring 2013 cover of the French floral art magazine Nacre and is featured in the winter 2016 edition, has been in many Colorado publications, and was profiled in the book 50-Mile Bouquet.
The Human Flower Project requested his work for its presentation at the Denver Botanic Gardens in 2011, where he transformed live models into human flowers. In 2012, downtown Vancouver was home to the NEOflora pop-up boutique, where Arthur joined Hitomi Gilliam AIFD and other floral artists to create a floral art space for one week -- a studio during the day, and a runway at night. Arthur was featured by the Denver Art Museum through it's Creative in Residence program in 2015 where he had a month long rotating gallery installation program complete with pop up workshop, interactive performance art and tag along public tours.
Every piece is a collaboration between Arthur and the materials. An organic medium demands an organic process, and each placement dictates the next. Layers, color, texture are all informed by the structure, which comes from the plants themselves. Contrast and harmony blend into each other and unify. The very nature of living materials makes them impermanent. Arthur considers what's yet to come when positioning a bud yet to blossom, or a full bloom that will decline. A floral work of art is alive and transitory, and cannot be possessed; it can only be experienced. There is perfection in the imperfections of nature's sculptures, and bringing them together in simple, striking beauty is Arthur's gift.
Amie Oakley Bio:
Amie Oakley is a self-taught artist and floral designer and has been designing flowers for the past 30 years. She is also a painter, illustrator, cake decorator, fiber artist & jewelry maker. Basically she is a very creative person who likes to express through her hands, in whatever medium is calling to her at the time. She has always been inspired by the natural world, especially the sacred beliefs of ancient cultures who respect the spirits of the land. This is reflected in her floral design style which has always leaned heavily toward the lyrical expression of ikebana.
She has been with Babylon Floral Design Inc. for 7 years. She has an 18 year old daughter, 3 cats and wolf.
f-ether bio:
With music as deeply connected to nature as the tree-laden mountains he calls home, Colorado musician f-ether has found a way to digitize the organic. But the concrete jungle has influenced his music just as powerfully, harboring a style all his own. Intricate drum patterns, prominent bass lines, and melodic arpeggiation are only a few spices in his flavor of electronic music, and he proudly displays his roots as a trip-hop producer when cooking up something new.
f-ether has raised the eyebrows of musicians both locally and internationally through his diverse range of sounds. Not often after a show does the audience know how to classify his branch of electronic music, as it tends to be a mix of things they havent experienced before. This has led f-ether to take part in producers' competitions around Denver and perform as a featured artist in local showcases. Although beat-influenced music and intricate compositions are where f-ether sharpens his edge, remixes are no daunting task to this producer. Having been previously recognized by A-Trak and Fool's Gold Records for his grand-prize winning remix in Grand Marniers 2015 #BlendOut competition, f-ether has gained traction as more than just another DJ in the electronic and beat scenes. Local publications have even gone as far as calling him an experimental electronic dance music legend-in-the-making, and his audiences have taken note of that as well (Tom Murphy, Queen City Sounds and Art).
f-ether creates a unique live performance through use of his experience as a producer, DJ, songwriter, and lifelong instrumentalist. He bridges the gap between what is tangible and what is ethereal through a melodic portrayal of abstract ideology, complex emotions, and the human condition in a way that words simply cannot grasp.
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LocationLeon Gallery (View)
1112 E 17th Avenue
Denver, CO 80218
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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