Floral heavyweights Miller and Lycett have teamed up to bring Miller’s famous ‘flower flashes’ from New York to London streets for the first time to spark joy as the city opens up for summer. Three extraordinary floral installations are appearing overnight at the iconic Eros statue, the god of sensual love, in Piccadilly Circus, two classic red phone booths, and an unassuming bin, to surprise and delight passers-by.
Miller’s New York installations in taxi cabs, trash cans, building sites and hot dog stalls have attracted world-wide attention and praise for transforming everyday parts of the city into interactive floral explosions of colour and life. This is the first time he has brought them to life outside his native New York.
More than 12,000 fresh blooms from Covent Garden Flower Market have been used in these floral extravaganzas. The classic Summer palette and the colour and spirit of the city have inspired Lewis’s vision. But these living sculptures aren’t just designed to be admired from afar. The public are encouraged to visit the Flashes today, pick and create their own personal take-away bouquets, gratis.
The London Flower Flashes are part of Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk’s latest ‘We Need More Flowers’ campaign which celebrates flowers and remind us why we need more of them in our lives. With online sales of flowers rocketing by 277% during lockdown, flowers have become a potent symbol of hope and connection.
“This is the first time I’ve created Flower Flashes outside my beloved New York and it’s a fascinating social experiment to see how Londoners react to them.” Lewis said.
“In New York people flock to take the flowers, will cultural stereotypes prevail and Londoners hang back and be more reserved? I started Flower Flashes back in 2016 with a very simple ambition; to create moments of natural beauty in unexpected parts of the city. Getting the opportunity to ‘flash’ such an iconic landmark as Eros is a career highlight; next stop Buckingham Palace!”
Chanel de Kock from Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk comments: “Our We Need More Flowers campaign seeks to remind people how flowers are central to so many of life’s important moments. We have long admired Lewis’s work from across the pond and now seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring his unique style of guerrilla floral street art to London to celebrate the city opening up.”
Until they’re dismantled by passers-by, the Flower Flashes will be on public display at Eros, Piccadilly Circus, two red phone boxes on the south side of Great Windmill Street and Dray Walk in East London’s Brick Lane.
