A deep breath of perfumed air

Imagine walking into a department store and being swept up in a fragrant floral cloud. From today, shoppers at Central Chidlom will be able to experience exactly that as the 2012 edition of the “Central Flower Extravaganza” opens.
 Orchids and roses are spread liberally around the Kingdom’s oldest department store and a floral spiral sculpture made of various flowers in a rainbow of colours, huge branches and tiny leaves coils its way around the seven storeys. Forming the centrepiece on the ground floor is an innovative green garden dotted with purple umbrellas formed by thousands of Vanda orchids, the creation of Belgian master florist Daniel Ost who jetted into town especially to celebrate Central’s 65th anniversary.
“I love Vanda orchids,” says Ost. “Thai orchids and especially the Vanda genus, are so beautiful and deservedly so highly valued here as well as in Holland, which is the biggest importer,” the 57-year-old adds.
Ost has used more than 20,000 Vanda orchids ranging in shade from deep purple to pastel pink to decorate the seven umbrellas. More than 700 branches of medeola cover each umbrella while three kinds of Selaginella – spikemosses – create the carpet. In the corners, the florist has installed four giant ceramic vases filled with bamboo sticks decorated with Vanda. Ost and one of his assistants flew in specifically for the assignment, and once here had the help of freelance florist Arthittaya Indrasombat and Panitan Thongsatit of Ruean Buddsaba floral shop plus more than 100 florists and craftsmen.
The multi-million baht installation took three days to complete and is a fitting tribute to Thai culture.
Ost is most famous in Japan, where floral design is part of the national heritage, and his signature works range from Zen to ikabana floral sculptures. For his latest creation, he was inspired by Thai culture, architecture and nature.
“I thought about Thai temples, Thai Royalty and the beauty of the Thai landscape,” he explains.
“Whenever I see a bamboo umbrella, I think of Thailand.”
Ost has fashioned his own world of astonishing floral designs. He created the arrangements for the opening of the Palazzo Grassi Museum for the Venice Biennale six years ago, and built a wall of pink dahlias, gerberas, hydrangeas and lisianthuses as the backdrop for Dries Van Noten’s spring 2007 fashion show in Paris. His work has been featured at multiple embassies as well as at royal residences Belgian and Japan. He has also been invited to create designs for several milestone events, among them the Hong Kong Handover Ceremony in 2000.
Ost, often dubbed the Renoir of the roses, is also familiar with Thailand. He created floral landmarks for Chiang Mai’s Rajapruek Botanical Park in 2008. A year later he was back, this time to create a veritable Garden of Eden for the engagement party of A-listers Urapa Laohapongchana and Voravat Maleenont. For three days, he laboured on a plantation of lotuses, tropium, bamboo and mosses to transform sections of the Oriental Hotel into paradise. He also created a second Eden for the couple’s wedding at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Ost has no rules for design, “because the beauty of flowers doesn’t speak through science,” he says, adding, “I create to suit the place, function and people.
“I am more concerned on how the team will help me keep the freshness of flowers,” he adds.
“I feel so sorry for Thai people because they don’t really appreciate and respect the beauty of flowers. I often see beautiful flowers thrown away on the side streets when I visit Thailand. That’s very different from Japan, where they really appreciate them and treat them like jewels. I came to the conclusion that maybe Thai people just take them for granted because they have the most beautiful flowers. Please appreciate those beauties before it’s too late,” he says.
“However, what I say in words is now as important as how I express myself through my floral decorations. So I think it would be better to allow the beauty of flowers to speak for me,” he concludes.
 

PETAL POWER
- “Central Flower Extravaganza” runs through Sunday. Watch a video interview with Daniel Ost at www.NationMultiMedia.com.