The Latin term Florilegium, meaning “a gathering of flowers,” originally referred to collections of flowers and later to illustrated books devoted to them. Known since antiquity, the genre flourished during the Dutch Golden Age.
Danielle Kwaaitaal’s Florilegium is a contemporary exploration of this heritage. By submerging the flowers she photographs in water, she suspends time and introduces the element of chance.
“The series ‘Florilegium’ is a throw-back to botanical drawings from the 17th century, but the difference is that my works do not try to document something; it is my own interpretation of a reality, not its documentation. To me, water signifies weightlessness and the absence of time. It is a medium that allows me to turn reality upside-down.”