Azuma Makoto's Flower Messenger
Japan House London
On June 2018, London Flower School collaborated with the legendary artist Azuma Makoto with his installation to celebrate the opening of Japan House London. The theme of the installation connected with Makoto’s previous work, in the style of a grand botanical sculpture. The display spoke of Makoto’s own relationship with flowers, and the themes that have informed his wider body of work: the ephemeral nature of blooms and blossoms, the endless dance of life and death, the disruption of urban landscapes with organic matter.
The final part of his project, named Flower Messenger, ran alongside the opening of Japan House London. More than 20 volunteers, recruited from our student body, friends of our school and Japan House London, took to the road, marching along Kensington High Street, and navigated a route that took them through Hyde Park, Kensington's cultural institutions such as the Serpentine Gallery and the Design Museum, the Royal Albert Hall and into South Kensington.
“Through the act of delivering flowers, I want ‘Flower Messenger’ to share as much joy as possible with as many people as possible to spread as much happiness as we can from Japan House London’s opening,” commented Azuma Makoto.
Dressed in beautiful denim uniforms and carrying baskets inspired by the those used by Edo period flower sellers in Japan, they were hard to miss as they enlivened the city streets, adding a splash of natural colour to London whilst giving away their flowers and an invitation to the opening of Japan House London.
Watch the creative process unfold in the videos and images below.





