Project

Snijbloemen
Quartet of botanical preparations
Amelia

Country

The Netherlands

For Resi van der Ploeg, cut flowers are no longer purchased due to the toxic chemicals used in their cultivation. When such flowers are received as a gift, every effort is made to make full use of them by examining petals, stems, and pollen under a microscope. These microscopic images are then translated into soft pastel works, a deliberate choice of medium that reflects the tension between their delicate beauty and the threat posed by the toxins that endanger their continued existence.

 
In Amelia, the airplane of Amelia Earhart is depicted within a cross-section of ivy, a plant traditionally symbolizing eternal life. Known as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean pioneering American aviator, she disappeared while attempting to fly across the Pacific in 1937. In this way, she is presented as deeply rooted in the collective memory, while also forming part of the maker’s own sense of origin and heritage.

 
With the work Embroidery of Clover, Pumpkin, Ivy and Water Lily. Resi embroidered with a new technique on dissolvable interfacing, where the interfacing is moved freely under the sewing machine and it is important that each thread touches another. If the interfacing is then dissolved in water, a lace-like work remains.