SAIIER 2020:"Divine Flowers" exhibition
“Entity::Divine Flowers” exhibition
a project of Savitri Bhavan
The vision of the ongoing project “Divine Flowers” is to create a learning environment for children, Aurovilians and visitors to connect with flowers in a deeper way. Through contact with real flowers and photos/paintings, botanical names, and messages by the Mother, many parts of our being are stimulated and we can become more conscious of flowers on a subtle level. This project is an effort to share the Mother’s vision and to co-create a psychic atmosphere involving the community and children.
Description of project:
The exhibition started on the Mother’s birthday i.e. Friday, the 21st Feb 2020. A meditation with the Mother’s music, led by Shraddhavan and Narad, signaled the auspicious opening of the event at the Amphitheatre, followed by biscuits, juices and sweets. The exhibition continued for 9 days culminating on 29th Feb. Each day about 65 different fresh flowers, with their botanical names and the significance given by the Mother (in calligraphic writing) were arranged artistically in a variety of vases in the Square Hall of Savitri Bhavan. These were collected every day in and around Auroville and from Matru Udyanam (Lake Garden) of the Ashram.
Also in the Square Hall, paintings of the flowers and live orchids in test tubes mounted on glass frames were aesthetically displayed. The Square Hall lobby was decorated with a round frame and clay work on flowers. Four different symbols (that of the Mother, Sri Aurobindo, Auroville and Aum) were arranged with flowers on different days. Bamboo frames with orchids and pictures of flowers (those which are not available) were displayed in the main lobby. The colonnade outside was beautified with paintings of flowers.
The passageway from the entrance to the main door of Savitri Bhavan, including the area around the statue of Sri Aurobindo, was adorned with 200 pots of different kinds of flowering plants. These we had grown ourselves during the year, to be ready for the exhibition. A nursery of 300+ pots was created with the support of an Ashramite (Manoj) in mid-December, and was watered and taken care-of by the team members. The Amphitheatre was also surrounded with about 100 pots of flowering plants.
This year we invited prominent speakers – Alok Pandey, Narad and Larry – to give talks on flowers, their connection with the Mother & Sri Aurobindo and Auroville. We also showed interesting videos about flowers on three days.
Different kinds of children's activities were organized for two days, in the open, green spaces of Savitri Bhavan: clay work, jigsaw puzzles & memory games, free painting, spray-painting, origami, drawing and colouring, flower mandala, leaf weaving, knitting, and fabric painting on handkerchiefs. About 100 students aged 5-10 years from Outreach schools and Auroville schools participated. A day was also kept for the age group of 12-16 years which offered free painting, drawing and sketching of flowers. Snacks and drinks were provided to all.
Overall more than 100 visitors, tourists and residents of Auroville attended the exhibition every day. On Feb 28th we had a meditation inside the Square Room.
Free gifts of seedlings were distributed as souvenirs. Looking at the interest, we distributed some flowers pots on contribution basis for our future self-sustenance. Around 10 volunteers and 10 members of the core team worked, some even from early morning till late at night. But all of them were highly motivated and delighted to work and contribute.
Outcomes:
The impact from the project was to create a beautiful, meditative space for people to connect integrally and peacefully to their psychic being. People became familiar with the names and significances of the flowers and could tune-in to them. Auroville and Outreach school children (100+), Auroville community members, visitors and guests, project team members and collaborators (1000+) were beneficiaries of this project.
The materials created for this exhibition will be re-utilized for exhibiting again. The stored materials can also be used by schools and other educational activities in Auroville and the Ashram, upon request.
From the verbal and written comments of the visitors, it is obvious that the atmosphere touched their hearts and they could feel the peace and harmony. They were able to connect with the inner beauty of the flowers and their arrangements.
Children happy and joyfully engaged in the activities. The entire atmosphere led them to live in the world of the flowers and experience a deeper aspect of Nature. The program helped the children to express their creativity and their inner beauty.
For our team, this exhibition helped us to gain the detailed knowledge of and build a deeper relationship with the flowers.
Reflections and conclusion:
The new learning for this year was the experience of the full process of growing different types of flowering plants and nurturing them.
The core team and the volunteers learned to work as a team, to care for plants in the nursery, and how to organize an exhibition with proper planning and execution through mutual discussion and understanding.
We came in touch with of the reality of these wonders of nature (flowers) and of life.
For spreading the Mother's vision on flowers, looking at our own enriching experience and to provide a space for children to build a deeper relationship with flowers we have decided to hold the next exhibition with more beauty and richness.
