Last Saturday I went on a day trip to London (more about the day soon). At this time of year it is a must to go and see the Christmas decorations in the windows at Selfridges. This year the theme seemed to be white and the windows didn’t grab my attention. Until I came to the window display pictured below!!
A giant snow globe featuring an Orchid sculpture by Mark Quinn. You may recall I posted about another of his sculptures that featured in an exhibition at Chatsworth last year. The orchid displayed at Selfridges is called “Geography of Desire” and sits amidst a swirl of snowflakes called “Blizzard of Desire”.
The oversized flower is encased with white snow flakes, which, with the help of several wind machines, swirl around, creating the image of a permanently shaken snow storm. Called “Blizzard of Desire”, the art installation is part of the store’s Christmas experience.
Marc Quinn, British artist, said, “It’s taken one of my sculptures that I made of a flower called Geography of Desire, which is a bronze sculpture of a flower and then I put it in the window and turned the whole window into a snow dome and so you have this amazing kind of artificial blizzard, it’s something that you couldn’t really do any where else.”
Marc Quinn said, “They are great because they are very sculptural, they’re really sexual, but they’re still just a flower, I mean I never alter them. But when you make it bigger it just looks like some many other different things, its beautiful form, it just kind of links into nature in some way.”
So beautiful!
I found it quite memorising.
Oh yes, looks superb.
And clever
It looks great. I’e not had any Christmas enthusiasm yet.
My Christmas enthusiasm never starts until after my birthday, which hasn’t arrived yet
This year I am not sure if the enthusiasm will arrive even after then…
I love snow globes, Cherry, and Astrid grows orchids here in our living room. Now you’re giving me some ideas….
If the ideas take fruit, I would love to see a picture
Beautiful, creative, and unique–I’m always amazed at the ideas people come up with!! Mickie
I find Mark Quinn’s works quite inspirational.
Christmas windows displays already?!
Yes, unfortunately the window has been displayed before my birthday.
Christmas is never official until after my birthday. In recent year so many flout those rules!!!
That’s by Mark Quinn?!
I saw another one (exactly the same!!!) in Singapore.
I do hope you have a photo to share of the Singapore sculpture.
It would be nice to compare
I like your comment that Christmas is never official until you’ve had your birthday. I worked with someone whose birthday was on 21st December … she always felt as if she was being cheated out of something !
Nice idea in Selfridges window, I’ve never checked it out before even though I have been in Oxford street a few times during November.
I grew up with Fenwick’s window in Newcastle, this year is their 40th year of a display. I did a blogpost on it last Christmas and can’t believe the hits I’ve had with it this week… someone from Chile today.
I don’t feel cheated by Christmas being advertised before my birthday. I just feel the very early advertising spoils Christmas and makes it a non event.
The early advertising is all about making money and it misses the real message of Christmas.
I will check out your Fenwick’s window post