Impact of Lines

Large scale floral installation under analysis

Design by Tomas De Bruyne for the Tulip Experience Day

As described in a previous blog, the lead instructor of EMC, Tomas De Bruyne, received the honour of having a tulip named after him. The Tulip Experience Day promissed an immersive journey into the world of tulips, offering attendees the opportunity to capture stunning photographs amidst blooming fields and to engage in networking, as well as gaining insights into the cultivation process. At the heart of the celebration was the christening of the new variety, and the entire celebration was hosted by a beautiful installation designed by Tomas De Bruyne and placed in the middle of the tulip field. 

The entire experience was beautifully described by other international publications such as Thursd. and Arabia Weddings or international floral magazines and blogs. Describing the mood and the atmosphere of the event, these articles perfectly showcase the impact of the celebration and all focus not only on the tulip itself, but especially on what Tomas managed to achieve visually by using the tulip in the large scale installation. For the ones who are interested, the Flower Circus youtube channel hosts a video featuring stunning images from the event. 

This blog will dive into a deeper understanding of the installation by working with the same tools we always use at EMC when it comes to floral design: analysing and using Elements and Principles of Design in order to comprehend the visual impact of the work. 

For those who follow the European Master Certification it should not come as a surprise that analysing is the way to go, but maybe it will be an interesting subject for them to see how this same tool works not only on smaller size designs, but on large installations as well. This type of exercise is something we feature in every one of our EDGE Fanzine editions, always using a big event design by Tomas De Bruyne as a source for our analysis. In other previous blogs, we have showcased how the EMC principles we teach within the floral design educational program applies to any size of work, wether the focus is on corporate installations, permanent decorations, exhibition designs or events. 

Why do we analyse?

A design encompasses the highest human cognitive functions such as creativity, integration, and problem-solving. Analyzing step by step the elements that determine the concept of a design may sound like a tedious and daunting task, but it's a great exercise to broaden your mind and actually allow you to appreciate your work beyond the all too general terms of "oh, that's so beautiful." The E&P analysis is a valuable tool, and the more you use it, the more you learn how to benefit from the knowledge and grow your design abilities. The scientific analysis of design is of considerable interest to academic scholars and design practitioners across many disciplines. There are many studies concerning how designers think during the creation of innovative products so why should us, florists, be an exception to that?

Analysing offers a unique perspective over the visual impact of the design and it influences the way you perceive your work, allowing for future improvements as well as constructive conclusions to be extracted after the implementation of a project. But, most important, it generates a mental habit for those who analyse which in time translates into the ability to visualise the impact of the design before executing it. That means, creating from a concept! Using Elements and Principles of Design as a language to communicate not only allows you as a designer to better communicate the message of your clients, but it also creates a more coherent and efficient communication within the team you work with. 

 What makes the Tulip Experience different? 

This is not the first installation in a tulip fields and it's certainly not the first time a "table design" is setup in within the beautiful landscape of a tulip grower. However, the overall impression of the installation was so different and uniques. First of all, the concept of the table in this case was transformed, focusing not on the functional aspect of the table, but on a decorative intention. The purpose was to celebrate the beauty and strength of a tulip variety, not to create a space for serving food, although the interaction between the guests and the installation was not at all excluded. This is not to say one design is better than the other, it is more to underline what we teach in EMC, that defining the W's of a design from the beginning is what makes the design work within a context. 

The concept of this design was focused on line arrangement. 

Why lines?

The answer is quite obvious. Imagine a field of tulips from afar... what is the first things that comes to mind: certainly colour and certainly lines. The colour story of the installation was already predetermined by the Tomas De Bruyne variety itself and the tulip field where it was built, so there was not a lot of creative playfulness there, but the lines offered a strong anchor point for the design concept. 

On a detail scale, when the guests approached the design, the parallel lines of the tulips created order and replicated the parallel lines that "describe" a field of tulips. The order in disorder line arrangement, discreet and textural, amplifies the beauty of the parallel order, adding a touch of vegetative character to a very decorative design. Why? It's a beautiful metaphor for what a tulip grown for commercial purposes encompasses... the flower is nature's work (hence the vegetative character) yet it is highly influenced by the knowledge, work and dedication of the growers, who greatly impact the life of the tulip in order to create a new variety. 

On a large scale, though, lines are explored completely different. From a combination of parallel line with multiple crossing points - that are characteristic for the order in disorder line arrangement - the overall installation created an intersection between the parallel lines of the filed with the one line display of the installation. This created a crossing line that draws attention to the installation and ultimately to the tulip itself!

This line arrangement is more focused on the relationship between the arrangement, the installation and its surroundings. This lifts up the entire installation due to the way elements are intentionally placed within the space.

As a floral designer, when one dives deeper into line floral arrangements, the focus should shift solely to the visual impact and the emotions lines evoke in the viewer. The designer's goal is to introduce a captivating visual tension, stimulating the senses and inviting exploration. To focus more on line arrangement and the power lines have in design, you can also follow the EMC "Magic of Lines" series - a course engaging into exploring how each type of line design communicates, sets the mood, and creates structure in your arrangements.

pictures by Alex Mateiu

design by Tomas De Bruyne

tulip developed by Kwekerij S. Schouten and Frank Timmerman

team: Yves Moetmans EMC, Diana Toma EMC, Kristina Rimiene EMC, Heather De Kok, Monika Bebenek