In this fascinating artistic work, flowers are frozen in a clear block of ice, creating an impressive connection between the fragility of nature and the immortality of ice.
The bright petals of the flowers contrast strongly with the cold, glittering surface of the ice that surrounds the flowers. The details of the flowers are visible in their full splendor—the fine textures and gentle transitions between the individual petals are both emphasized and gently distorted by the ice. The light refracts off the icy surface, creating a play of reflections and shadows that gives the viewer a deep insight into the beauty and complexity of nature.
This work encourages reflection on the themes of transience and preservation. It invites the viewer to reflect on the duality of life and death—how something as vibrant as a flower can be captured in one moment, only to be extinguished in another. The yellow dahlia symbolizes joy and optimism, while the ice simultaneously represents coldness and stagnation.
Overall, Blossoms in Ice conveys a melancholy beauty that is both admirable and thought-provoking. It is a haunting work of art that addresses the fragility of life and the power of memory.
The start of this project
At first, I was fascinated by things that are enclosed in amber. So, I thought about how I could enclose things in a solid and transparent container. That year, we had a cold winter with lots of ice on the rivers here in Hamburg. My florist always told me how to handle the flowers I bought, so that they would last a long time. Then, one day, I dared to tell him what I used the flowers for. I showed him some photos, and since then, he has often had flowers for me that he can no longer sell because they have blossomed too far. For me, of course, they are just right.
My florist already had some of my photos on his flower cards for his customers. I worked for several years to produce crystal-clear ice. I watched ice in nature to learn how it could get crystal clear. I can’t, and don’t want to, control the result exactly. When I take the flowers out of the ice, I never know exactly what I’m going to get. This always makes the project exciting and thrilling.
The project started with ice cubes in my fridge, but now, over time, I am using a deep freezer, and I can freeze larger blossoms than at the beginning of the project. At first, I didn’t want to work with white blossoms, but white blossoms always have a very special look in the ice. So now I like them most in the ice. [Official Website]
