Line Involvements is a body of graphic works by Anni Albers, who was a textile artist and printmaker famous for blurring the lines between traditional craft and art. After a successful weaving career, Albers created her first graphic works in 1964: a suite of seven lithographs titled Line Involvements. Trained at the Bauhaus, the German-American artist based this dark shaded lithograph on her practice as a textile artist and created a thread-like weave with an incised effect. DSQBL pays tribute to the artist and her work with a bouquet that mainly consists of dried Clematis flowers. In doing so, the floral arrangement draws on Albers painterly graphic works characterised by interlaced structures.

Place in medium sized vase with cold water. Refresh water every day.

Anni Albers, « IV from Line Involvements », 1964. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Kleiner, Bell & Co. © 2021 The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York © The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2021, for the digitized image.

Quelques secondes avant l’atterrissage is based on the adventurous, spectacular and, above all, exhilarating photographs of Willi Ruge that seem like immediate forerunners of today's Instagram pictures. DSQBL has created a bouquet reminiscent of a parachute that is inspired by the photograph Quelque seconde avant atterrissage by Wili Ruge. Consisting mainly of the Papyrus plant, this floral arrangement contains a crucial element that played a major role in the creation of this photograph. Equipped with a parachute made partially of Papyrus fibres, Willi Ruge threw himself out of a plane over Berlin and snapped a self-portrait shortly before landing. The result of which was to become an icon of early adventure photography.

Place in high, narrow vase with cold water. Refresh water every day and cut stems every two days.

Wili Ruge, « Quelques secondes avant l’atterrissage », 1931, from the « I Photograph Myself Parachuting » series. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Thomas Walther Collection. Gift of Thomas Walther © The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2021, for the digitized image.

Florence Henri was the main inspiration for this floral arrangement. The multi-faceted artist who’s portrait made by Lucia Moholy is currently exhibited in the exhibition Chefs-d’oeuvre photographiques du MoMA at Jeu de Paume, used mirrors as a crucial element to capture multiple viewpoints and to break away from central perspective. Florence Henri played with reality and reflections as well as spatial relationships and intersections. With this floral arrangement, DSQBL tries to step into the mind of the established artist in order to examine traditional flower arranging from a new perspectival angle.

Place in large vase in indirect sunlight. Refresh water with cold water every other day.

Lucia Moholy, “Florence Henri”, 1927, © The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Collection Thomas Walther. Don de Thomas Walther. © 2021 Lucia Moholy Estate/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. © The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2021, for the digitized image.

In India by Mitch Epstein Inspired this floral arrangement consisting mainly of Marigold flowers, which bear significant meaning in Hinduism. Associated mostly with deities Vishnu, Lakshmi and Ganesha, Marigold flowers represent the sun, symbolizing brightness and positive energy. In India, which is currently available at the Jeu de Paume librairie, offers a unique perspective of two separate worlds coming together: that of the initiate and that of the spectator. With this bouquet, DSQBL aims to translate the bonding between these two worlds.

Place in medium sized vase indirect sunlight. Refresh water with lukewarm water every day.

Mitch Epstein, “In India", 2021, © Steidl

1078 Blue Skies / 4432 Days was a bouquet consisting exclusively of dried flowers and seeds that was dedicated to the same-titled book by Belgian artist Anton Kusters. Over a period of six years, Kusters researched and photographed the blue sky directly above every single site of former concentration or extermination camps that were active during the German Nazi regime in Europe. Nowadays, there’s no visible remains left of half of the camps. But the grounds on which the horrors took place as well as the sky that bore witness, remain the same. Kuster’s book, which is available at the Librairie Jeu de Paume, provides a disturbing look at an intangible trauma that is slowly becoming a fading collective memory. This floral arrangement responds to the work by using flowers that fade- or have faded over time but carry a memory in their seeds that will manifest eternally.

Place in any desired container in indirect sunlight. Spray the bouquet with cold water every other week to keep your dried flowers vivid.

Anton Kuster, «1078 Blue Skies / 4432 Days», 2021, © KEHRER

Essai pour le film Culte vaudou, Exposition 1937 was inspired by white Okuyi masks of the Punu people (Gabon) that represent female ancestors from the afterlife. Divine beings who come to the village during important community affairs: at births and passings, crises and reconciliations. One of these masks served photographer Maurice Tabard as a motif for his work Solarisation au masque Punu. It is not conclusively known whether Tabard considered the meaning of the mask when he took his photograph or if the female figure in the picture even represents a supernatural being. As a response to this, DSQBL created this bouquet consisting mainly of pincushion proteas, whose colour pigments are used to paint the wooden masks. The floral arrangement aims to draw attention not so much to Tabard’s photography but to the contex- tualisation of African art in a Western context, which has often been neglected throughout history and still is to this day.

Place in high narrow vase in direct sunlight. Refresh with cold water every other day.

Maurice Tabard, "Essai pour le film Culte vaudou, Exposition 1937", 1936, The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Collection Thomas Walther. Gift of Shirley C. Burden, on by exchange ©️ The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2021

18. United States Lines

United States Lines: “Sitting next to pink carnations, yellow chrysanthemums and long lasting greeneries similar to those present in this floral arrangement, surrealist painter Mr. Max Ernst and Mrs. Ernst enjoyed specialties from five continents, including caviar from Iran, pheasant from Scotland, tender American steak and fine French wines.”

DSQBL created this bouquet inspired by the advertisement for cruise ship company United States Lines featuring Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning. By providing little to no more information other than the connection with celebrity artists, DSQBL refers to the collection of advertisements as seen in the book ADS by Pierre Leguillon, in which various artists pose for various brands. ADS is currently available in Librairie Yvon Lambert as well as Jeu de Paume.

Place in high, narrow vase in direct sunlight. Refresh water with cold water every day.

Advertisement for United States Lines, Holiday Magazine, 1959, © Museum of Mistakes

Portrait de groupe au retardateur 1991 was inspired by the recent article “A short imaginary phenomenology of the photobomb” in the by Jeu de Paume initiated magazine Palm. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the photobomb is the phenomenon of “a photograph that has been spoiled by the unexpected appearance of an unintended subject in the camera's field of view as the picture was taken”. To translate this, DSQBL created a seemingly traditional bouquet with a rather unexpected element added. Composed using mainly local flowers and greeneries that are native to central European soil, this floral arrangement contains an unusual guest appearance from a region unfamiliar to Europe’s landscapes. In times where easy acces to worldwide flora blurs the origin of floral species, this arrangement invites the viewer to recognise and reflect on what is- and isn’t domestic, with all the consequences that entails.

Place in high, narrow vase in indirect sunlight. Refresh water with lukewarm water every other day.

Francky Stadelmann, Portrait de groupe au retardateur 1991. Image sent to the "Fautographique" competition, 1991 (Bibiliothèque nationale de France, 1991), reproduced with the kind permission of the author.

Les Chiffonniers De Paris by Antoine Compagnon (currently available at Jeu de Paume), formed the base of this floral arrangement. With a sack slung over their shoulder and a stick in their hand, the chiffonnier collected and salvaged used rags from the streets of Paris. These vile rags were sold to paper manufacturers, who used the raw material to manifest our precious knowledge and leisure into luxurious libraries. Inspired by Les Chiffonnier de Paris, DSQBL created this floral composition consisting entirely of roses. Both a symbol for the chic and the kitsch, the ambivalent rose remains one of the best selling flowers that many love to hate, or hate to love. Accessible to almost everyone, the rose bridges the gap between the privileged and the unprivileged and, like paper, contains the ability to function as a blank canvas for a variety of messages.

Place in wide, narrow vase filled with floral foam in indirect sunlight. Add fresh, cold water every day.

︎Vase included.

Antoine Compagnon, “Les Chiffonniers des Paris”, 2017, © Éditions Gallimard-NRF

Travaux En Cours, the current exhibition at Jeu de Paume, brings to light the creative process of three filmmakers as they create new productions. Inspired by the vulnerable transparency of these processes, DSQBL created a bouquet consisting of flowers with unopened buds, whose colours, textures and overall anatomy only reveal themselves over the course of time. The obscure, opening buds are analogous to the artists Noëlle Pujol, Ana Vaz and Ben Rivers, who share exciting moments with the public that are central to the creative process but normally remain hidden.

Place in low vase with narrow opening in direct sunlight. Refresh water with cold water each day.

Noëlle Pujol, “Boum ! Boum !”, 2021, © The artist

Dragobete by Mircea Cantor is the latest addition to the Pli Selon Pli collection by Librairie Yvon Lambert. Dedicated to the festive Romanian holiday that is associated mainly with togetherness, the Romanian-born artist reminds us that love is forever, we are temporary. An arrangement made with a base of traditional flowers that represent love and romance. Protruding from the base are floral accents that are native to Romanian soil, symbolising the individual for whom love can take on many shades. As modern values have replaced the more traditional expressions of the past, this bouquet acts as a simple homage to the need for love in our lives.

Place in high, narrow vase in indirect sunlight. Refresh water every other day.

Mircea Cantor, “Dragobete 24”, 2021, © The artist

13. IX. Cul-De-Lampe

IX. Cul-De-Lampe is inspired by the book Baudelaire, l’art contre l’ennui by Stéphane Guégan, which is newly offered by Librairie Jeu de Paume. This essay, without separating the poet from the journalist, re-examines Baudelaire’s deflagration and how it still continues today. Inspired by Baudelaire and his Les Fleurs Du Mal, DSQBL created this floral arrangement based on Odilon Redon’s etching that accompanies the famous volume. The floral composition emphasises the gloomy side of the celebrated sunflower whose blossom is reminiscent of an eye (a recurring motif in Redon's oeuvre). The sunflower’s bright colours stand for light and brightness, while at the same time, its posture and movements are symbolic for melancholy and darkness, when the sun has sunken beneath the horizon.

Place in high, narrow vase in direct sunlight. Refresh water every day.

Odilon Redon, “IX. Cul-de-lampe”, 1891, © Kröller-Müller-Museum

Summer Camp was created with a focus on floral arrangements with alternative architectures. DSQBL created this multi-layered floral composition stimulated by the work of artist Jean-Charles Blais. The famous French artist, who is currently exhibiting at Librairie Yvon Lambert, paints on the back of torn off posters which, due to his creative interventions, are given a new artistic lease of life. His multi-layered arrangements contain accidental frames and folded structures, which arise in the tearing process. Through this bouquet, DSQBL aims to respond to the spontaneity of Blais’ creative process, that offers a unique perspective on the materiality of the picture space.

Place in low, narrow vase in indirect sunlight. Refresh water with lukewarm water every two days.

Jean-Charles Blais, exhibition view of “Summer Camp”, 2021 © Yvon Lambert Bookshop

Étudiantes Des Ateliers De Tissage Du Bauhaus was inspired by the work and legacy of Bauhaus master Gunta Stölzl. Stölzl was a German textile artist who played a fundamental role in the development of the Bauhaus school's weaving department as it transitioned from individual pictorial works to modern industrial designs. In this floral arrangement, DSQBL used the classical shape of a traditional bouquet, while rejecting the hierarchy of standard flower arranging. The composition is flat, like tapestry, allowing the natural structures of the individual flowers to create patterns reminiscent of the weave techniques that made Stölzl a household name.

Place in narrow vase in indirect sunlight. Refresh water with lukewarm water every other day.

Charlotte Beese, “Sans titre (étudiantes des ateliers de tissage du Bauhaus, Dessau)”, 1928, © The Museum of Modern Art, New-York

The Colors of Noise is a bouquet inspired by the newest issue of Les Others magazine, which is dedicated to sound and listening. As an hommage to the listening ear, this floral arrangement is composed exclusively with the colors of noise. In audio engineering, there’s a wide variety of noise colors, each with its own unique properties, that are used to produce music and sound. Volume 13 of the magazine speaks of a new, revolutionary era, in which it’s time for us to open our ears wide and listen.

Cut stems at sharp angle every three days and place in high, narrow vase in indirect  sunlight.Refresh water every two days.

Image by Mwchalmers for Creative Commons, The Colors of Noise, 2015.

09. Späte Sommerzeit Grüsst Herbstbriefschreiber

Späte Sommerzeit Grüsst Herbstbriefschreiber was inspired by same titled painting by Karl Uelliger. The floral arrangement is a collection of colorful flowers containing the rich color palet of sun-up and sun-down. A seasonal assembly referring to the bitter sweet transition from summer to fall.

Place in narrow, high vase in direct sunlight. Refresh water and clean vase every day.

︎Vase included.

Karl Uelliger, "Späte Sommerzeit Grüsst Herbstbriefschreiber", 1984, © The artist

08. Blót 1

Blót 1 is a classical, unaltered bouquet inspired by the installation by Marit Westerhuis. Plants which were already native to Europe long before the development of mankind and have not changed until today dominate this flower bouquet. The composition is inspired by Marit Westerhuis, whose impressive installation Blót 1 is based on extensive research into the relationship between earth, mankind and technology.

Place in spacious vase with cold water in indirect sunlight. Refresh with cold water every other day.

Marit Westerhuis, “Blót 1", 2019, © The artist, Rijksakademie (Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij, Rijksakademie, Amsterdam)

Between Light by Children Of The Light (shown at Oude Kerk) inspired this bouquet. The floral composition aims to illustrate the classical, architectural elements of a church. Arranged using mostly flowers with a religious context, the bouquet evokes a sensation of movement. Physically, as well as spiritually.

Place in high, narrow vase out of direct sunlight. Refresh with cold water every other day.

Children Of The Light, "Between Light", 2019, © The artists and Oude Kerk (Photo: Peter Tijhuis, Oude Kerk, Amsterdam)

Sanctum, commissioned by Het Hem, was inspired by Levi van Veluw’s Sanctum and composed based on the characteristics of an altar. Using elements of elevation, the elegant, rising structure of the bouquet seems to reach for the sky. An almost holy composition that refers to a sanctuary. A safe haven. Calm and peaceful.

Place in high, narrow vase with lukewarm water in indirect sunlight. Refresh water every two days.

Levi van Veluw, "Sanctum", 2019, © The artist, Het Hem and Tenuta Dello Scompiglio (Photo: Levi van Veluw, Het Hem, Zaandam)

05. Untitled (White Glitter)

Untitled (White Glitter) is a unique bouquet inspired by Ann Veronica Janssens’ Untitled (White Glitter). The visual aspect of Janssens’ work reminds the viewer of motion, like an ocean wave. Thus the floral arrangement consists of soft, delicate flowers that reference colors and organisms found in oceans and their surroundings.

Place in small open vase with luke-warm water, out of direct sunlight. Refresh water every two days.

Ann Veronica Janssens, "Untitled (White Glitter)", 2016, © The artist and Bortolami New York (Photo: Peter Cox, De Pont Museum, Tilburg) 

Bestiari was commissioned by Mister Motley and was inspired by Bestiari by Albert Merino. The composition brings together ornamental, wild plants growing in the streets of Amsterdam and greenhouse bred species. High-performance floral species, often genetically manipulated, now dominate the supply of most flower shops and contribute to the loss of biodiversity. Even the outdoor environment is increasingly dominated by manipulated varieties, and in the future it will become more and more difficult to distinguish between the natural and the artificial.

A wild and unpredictable bouquet. Place in spacious, high vase in direct sunlight. Refresh water and clean vase every day.

Albert Merino, "Bestiari", 2018, © The artist (Photo: Albert Merino, videostill)

Still Life is a bouquet, commissioned by Het Hem for Lynk & Co as a sign of gratitude for a fruitful collaboration, that was inspired by Still Life by RAAAF, which is one of the permanent works installed at Het Hem. This bouquet is a floral still life that fuses the past with the present and holds the future within. The viewer is encouraged to revisit what was considered lost and to see potential of the old within the new.

A bouquet suitable for the fall season, consisting entirely of dry flowers. Place in high, narrow vase (without water) in indirect sunlight.

︎Vase included.

RAAAF, “Still Life”, 2019, © The artist, Het Hem. (Photo: C. Eeftinck Schattenkerk, Het Hem, Zaandam)

Exit Strategy (Diet Mountain View) is simultaniously a joyful and imaginative bouquet as well as a dysmal and dark one. Inspired by Friederich Kunath’s Exit Strategy (Diet Mountain View), this composition holds a mixture of real and fake flowers. A celestial atmosphere containing the mercurial colors of the sky.

Place in spacious vase with luke-warm water in direct sunlight. Refresh water every other day.

Friedrich Kunath, "Exit Strategy (Diet Mountain View)“, 2012, Private Collection, © The artist and BQ, Berlin (Photo: Christie’s)

Rûschegg is a bouquet composed exclusively of wild forest flowers, which have been picked by us personally in the Swiss Alps. Authentic and wild, the floral arrangement embodies the pictorial language of the painting Rüschegg by Franz Gertsch.

Place in narrow vase with somewhat cold water in indirect sunlight. Refresh water every two days.

Franz Gertsch, "Rüschegg", 1988, Collection Albertina Museum, © The artist, Albertina Museum