Creating celestial world from flowers

Tired of living in the spiritual desert that modern, high-tech urban society has become, installation artist Ku Shih-yung (顧世勇) has turned to nature for inspiration for his new work. There is... there are... (諸物升起...), now on show at the Taipei County Cultural Bureau, consists of 10 flower pressings, each coupled with a composite photo of a flower field.

Before Ku realized the importance of nature, he had been taking photos of places in the wilderness where he felt mysteriously at ease for years.

"In some places in nature, you just feel at home. It's a feeling beyond description," Ku said in an interview with Taipei Times.

Out of these photos of colorful little wild flowers in full bloom in anonymous fields, Ku made composites depicting himself standing amid the flowers. With a mirror in one hand to reflect the sunlight, the small figure creates an eerie light spot.

"Receiving the energy from the sun, things come into existence. Then they are where they are for no one's sake. Things in nature therefore exist in a very pure state," Ku said.

That's why Ku's photos are only of fields untouched by agriculture. "[Gardens and farmers' fields] serve the interests of human beings. Their existence is not pure anymore," Ku said.

Taking great pleasure in keeping company with nature, Ku picked up flower pressing as his medium. Although it is mostly used to create representative or decorative art, there's nothing to that effect in the exhibit. Many of the large-format plates show repetitive geometrical formations that can be quite hypnotizing. "I didn't try to compose the picture to look like something in real life. I just slowly put on the small flowers one by one on the plates, and let them take over," Ku said.

The nameless small flowers are arranged against dark backgrounds like stars of a constellation map. They create a harmonious atmosphere as if you are looking into the universe, an effect further enhanced by tiny reflective particles sprayed onto the surface.

For Ku, the creative process was equally harmonizing. "I experienced great joy working on the flower pressings. That joy is still with me even now that the project is finished," he said. Viewers to the serene exhibition may likely feel the same.