Locals and tourists strolling through the streets of Belgium may come across floral artist Geoffroy Mottart's unique decor on some of the country's oldest busts and statues.
Using an assortment of flowers, Mottart gives the historic sculptures a splash of colour to highlight the grandeur of the already stunning monuments.
Mottart was inspired to work on this project so people can appreciate their environment. "The goal I want to achieve is to re-emphasise the creations that surround us," he said.
A keen observer of his surroundings, Mottart says he likes to escape in the parks and admire the beauty of the statues that lie within them. However, he feels the magnificence of the statues are often invisible and lost on people.
Wanting to put the focus back on the sculptures, Mottart came up with a unique technique he calls Fleurissement, to encourage people to take a moment and rediscover them.
With the statues as his muse, he approaches every design with a unique touch down to the last detail. Mottart takes into account the kind of flowers he should use depending on the fineness of its features, the material, location and season.
"I chalk a mould of the statue and then I work the flowers in my studio on the mould, as I protect the statue." he explains. The flowers he chooses are not for a symbolic purpose, but simply for their shape and colour. As an example, he used pink flowers to highlight the bust of Leopold II because of the green copper.
Felix Vande Sande, Hermès and Pierre Paulus are just some of the other sculptures he has worked on over the past two years.
Most of the public reaction has been positive. "I would say that in general the passers-by take it very well, they are often very surprised by my work,” he said. However, there have been a few people who have objected to his works on the statues and worry he will deface" the sculptures. Despite the criticism he said: "I always reassure them, my aim is to highlight and not spoil them."
Mottart longs to have his works displayed on the busts in the courthouse of Brussels. "They are beautiful and the place is full of history" he says. Gaining access has been a challenge. “Communication is more complicated. Because like everywhere, it is difficult to have access to the responsible person," he said.
In the meantime, Mottart hopes to continue what he is doing and doesn’t want to stop at Belgium, but would like to work on statues around the world he says are "tantalising".
