This October, Lisa Waud will fill 15 rooms of an abandoned house in Detroit with up to 100,000 flowers. Waud, a florist, paid $500 for the two properties in 2014; the photos here are from a preview event in May where one of the houses was filled with 4000 beautiful flowers over 48 hours.
Her Flower House art project was inspired by Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s wrapped Pont Neuf bridge in Paris but has since evolved to include an emphasis on sustainability and a long-term plan for the properties involved. After the event, the structures will be dismantled, recycled, and the space used to grow flowers.
"The hope that this deconstruction and land repurposing will inspire others to see abandoned structures as platforms for art and business, and to use them in an environmentally responsible way,” writes Waud.
Florist Lisa Waud bought two houses in Detroit for $500
"I have always loved the Christo and Jeanne-Claude projects, but did not know what I would do with my inspiration until I saw images from the 2012 Dior show outside of Paris," Waud told Bored Panda
The interior of the buildings was a complete mess
"My first idea was to build a small shed from a hardware store kit and display it at a local contemporary museum, but that quickly felt that it wouldn't have the 'breathtaking' factor I craved"
She brought 4000 flowers and spent 48 hrs bringing the house to life
"When you live in Detroit, it's hard to not notice an abundance of abandoned houses, and one day, I began looking at them as a resource, and it wasn't too much longer before I was at a city auction with my hand up"
"It was certainly at that moment when sh*t got real for the project. I was suddenly in possession of my canvas for an installation I had been dreaming of for years. As I spent time cleaning up the properties, it became much more than a floral art project though"
"It's a story in three parts: a house filled with flowers for one fall weekend, a deconstruction project partnering with a local company called Reclaim Detroit to reuse up to 75% of the materials in the structures, and the launching of an urban flower farm for my floral design company, pot & box"
"I have met florists I've always looked up to, neighbors I never would have known, and people passionate about getting involved with the project. It's been amazing"
Bored Panda would like to thank Lisa Waud for this interview
In October the second house will be filled with up to 100,000 flowers
