CAPE TOWN – The quote “there is no limit to creativity,” appears several times on Heike Haywood’s business website and Facebook page. She and her team at Fleur Le Cordier demonstrated this truism in colorful and fragrant fashion recently at their Floral Experience Workshop. Drawing on South Africa’s rich botanical diversity (the country is the indigenous home of many world-famous flowers), they created a dazzling array of floral arrangements to be worn, draped over furniture and admired as centerpiece works of art.
More details from Chauvet (www.chauvetprofessional.com):
Creativity was taken to an even higher level at the end of their three-day event, when one of the rooms at the elegant Argyle function venue in Cape Town was transformed into a floral dining cove. Guests who entered the grotto-like area were immersed in a tunnel of flowers in every imaginable shape and color. Accenting the flowery panorama were soft pastel washes created by Unfazed Productions, using CHAUVET Professional Rogue R2 Wash fixtures.
“This was just a very enjoyable project to be involved in from a creative standpoint,” said JP Willson from Unfazed Productions. “The room was turned into this spectacular floral setting in the afternoon before the gala dinner at the end of the event, so the guests who entered for dinner were completely surprised by the transformation. Even the food served was related to flowers in some way or another. Chef Johnny Hamman from Slippery Spoon Kitchen prepared the dishes and included flowers in many of them.”
Unfazed Productions was given a great deal of creative freedom to light the floriated dining area. Divon van der Heyde and Kyle Arendse from Unfazed Productions set up and programmed all the lighting for this event. When guests first entered, they used the RGBW Rogue R2 Wash fixtures to create subtle color changes for dramatic effect. They also called on the fixture’s 5 zones of control to add extra flourishes to the room’s lighting. For accenting specific flowers in the expansive arrangement, they deployed CHAUVET DJ EZpar and EZpin IRC fixtures.
At the start of each course, the Rogue fixtures were used to create special looks signaling the arrival of the dinner’s next serving. Each course of the dinner had a specific look, with both strong, and subtle color washes to suit the course being served. During the meal itself, the lights were toned down to a subtle warm white wash for the guests to enjoy the ambience.
“It was extraordinarily fun and rewarding to orchestrate lighting with this unique and immersive floral arrangement,” he said. “As a designer, you always value color and beauty, and what can be more beautiful than flowers?”
