BLURRED LINES III

The floral language is ultimately a positive one, traditionally welcomed throughout many eras and cultures. Further investigation reveals a cryptological communication. While modern enthusiasts perceive generalized signifiers (such as red roses for love, yellow for friendship), an interest in floriography (the language of flowers) was significant in Victorian England and 19th Century America. Gifts of blooms, plants and specific floral arrangements revealed coded messages to the recipient, often allowing a sender to communicate unspoken feelings.

Inspired by this rich history, Anna applies this psychology to interpret a modern social commentary; how do we communicate and how are we communicated to? Anna theorizes; if what we perceive through social media is real, and beautiful; do we care if it’s artfully staged or deliberate in it’s messaging? Do we bother to seek out a hidden meaning? Be it a disguised aspirational message or a deliberate advertisement? Are we willing to suspend disbelief?

The juxtaposition of soft florals with the stark colour theory, as well as the fact that this entire series is composed of fake blooms is a deliberate variant on the floriography theme. Another significant point of inspiration and symbolism for Blurred Lines was Hermann Rorschach’s inkblot tests. Upon first inspection, you might just see the beautiful arrangement. However, if you look closer, there’s an unsymmetrical mirror version; it’s blurred self.

This deliberate variant is designed to trick your eyes and hopefully spur the viewer to analyse the difference between what you visually perceive and what your mind understands. Much like during a Rorschach assessment, the image may be rotated and interpreted using a variety of factors; and is also largely dependent on the affect state of mind of the viewer.