Matthew Oxley

A series of works focusing on the consumption of flowers. The study case is the Dutch iris 'Blue Magic' (a flower I bought to cheer myself up). It takes the form of 3 video works that speak about the requirements and history of its cultivation.

Video #1 shows the Dutch iris being eaten, and washed away with milk; the body becomes the site to the toxins needed to produce the flower. Video #2 shows the Dutch iris in different stages of growth using a heat camera; the control of temperature allows the flower to be available year-round. 
Video #3 shows a close-up of the Dutch iris twirling to Moroccan music*; the Blue Magic owes its bright blue colour to the Iris tingitana, named after the place it grows — Tanger, Morocco.

 

Alongside the video installation are letterpressed portrait poems dedicated to my classmates. The poems use cultivar names of Dutch irises. These poems, or bouquets, will be gifted during the graduation ceremony.