TWIGS IN A VASE

WHEN INTERIORS AND NATURE COMBINE
“I looked and looked at her, and I knew, as clearly as I know that I will die, that I loved her more than anything I had ever seen or imagined on earth. She was only the dead-leaf echo of the nymphet from long ago - but I loved her, this Lolita, pale and polluted and big with another man’s child. She could fade and wither - I didn’t care. I would still go mad with tenderness at the mere sight of her face.”  ― Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita A candied elegance, visually submerged with attentive sequencing in both vase and matter, these twigs present an upright sensitivity with an apparently impromptu saccharine bloom, peacocking erectly from the stark, urbane surroundings in which we find them. The vase itself showcases a gentle bulbousness rarely seen outside mid-priced fragrance ranges, and thus provides its own scent, albeit a visual one; the scent of virginal teenage nights, of lip-glossed woodland mornings, of fresh per una drapings. These Nabokovian twigs are themselves basking in memories of romance past, inviting the nearby tableaux commerciales and cool eggplant table candles to similarly shed inhibition and grasp hold of the seductive. (Oisin Share, Guest Editor of Twigs In A Vase)

“I looked and looked at her, and I knew, as clearly as I know that I will die, that I loved her more than anything I had ever seen or imagined on earth. She was only the dead-leaf echo of the nymphet from long ago - but I loved her, this Lolita, pale and polluted and big with another man’s child. She could fade and wither - I didn’t care. I would still go mad with tenderness at the mere sight of her face.”  ― Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

A candied elegance, visually submerged with attentive sequencing in both vase and matter, these twigs present an upright sensitivity with an apparently impromptu saccharine bloom, peacocking erectly from the stark, urbane surroundings in which we find them. The vase itself showcases a gentle bulbousness rarely seen outside mid-priced fragrance ranges, and thus provides its own scent, albeit a visual one; the scent of virginal teenage nights, of lip-glossed woodland mornings, of fresh per una drapings. These Nabokovian twigs are themselves basking in memories of romance past, inviting the nearby tableaux commerciales and cool eggplant table candles to similarly shed inhibition and grasp hold of the seductive.

(Oisin Share, Guest Editor of Twigs In A Vase)

Bringing nature and the life of the mind into meaningful proximity, a singularly intellectual ensemble offsets sea-toned vintage books with a rough-hewn burst of bronzed woodland finds, literally served to the viewer on a dependable birch-wood tray. The chaotic autumnal branchlings and accompanying desiccated ochre flora reach beyond the frame of the image to hint at the ceaselessness of seasonal change. But it’s the receptacle itself – at once both twig and vase – that provides the wry meta-commentary, subliminally prompted perhaps by the cool presence of the French dictionnaire, home of postmodernist thought, giving this a self-referential depth seldom reached by standard domestic objets. Oui oui, we say, oui oui.

(Greg Thorpe, guest editor of Twigs In A Vase)

A searing vision of Antipodean creativity is represented here in a triumphant crescendo of expired and partially-expired leaves, a dramatic swathe of eighties tropical-print fabric reminiscent of the carefully tended curtains within a 3-star hotel in Miami Vice, and of course the carefully positioned twig installation itself — presented magnanimously upon a glass-topped faux-iron table. This consists of a swarthy bushel of blackened grass, a confident splay of pre-lit stubby twigs, and a cheeky peplum of viridian foliage. Enhancing this vision de carnivale is a triptych of miniature florabunda-depicting oil paintings, a self-spraying room aroma device, and various objets d’art bearing no relevance to the overall scene.


(Emma Jay, co-author of Twigs In A Vase)

“Darling, when things go wrong in life, you lift your chin, put on a ravishing smile, mix yourself a little cocktail…” “The Undomestic Goddess” Kinsella, Sophie An oversized cocktail glass irreverently steps into the shoes of the standard vase in this coquettish home interiors installation.  Wedges of blush, filigree loofah nestle amongst a bounteous swathe of pot pourri in 50 Shades Of Puce, off-set by a duo of polyvinyl chloride roses in schiaparelli pink.  A white-frosted fir cone winks atop this deconstructed twigs-in-a-vase re-imagining, like a glistening gob of double cream.     Sian Allen, Co-Editor of Twigs In A Vase

“Darling, when things go wrong in life, you lift your chin, put on a ravishing smile, mix yourself a little cocktail…”

“The Undomestic Goddess” Kinsella, Sophie

An oversized cocktail glass irreverently steps into the shoes of the standard vase in this coquettish home interiors installation.  Wedges of blush, filigree loofah nestle amongst a bounteous swathe of pot pourri in 50 Shades Of Puce, off-set by a duo of polyvinyl chloride roses in schiaparelli pink.  A white-frosted fir cone winks atop this deconstructed twigs-in-a-vase re-imagining, like a glistening gob of double cream.    

Sian Allen, Co-Editor of Twigs In A Vase

Phallic, sculptural wax flowers are combined with rigid green grass fronds and accents of white whispy foliage resembling the electric lightning bolts as summoned by Zeus in a moment of emphatic fury. These are encased in glass conical vessels, which are held test tube like by white wooden stands evocative of human spermatozoa. The combination of the new growth twigs and the semen-esque vases are clearly a statement about the timeless beauty of the miracle of childbirth. (Emma Jay, co-editor of Twigs In A Vase)

Phallic, sculptural wax flowers are combined with rigid green grass fronds and accents of white whispy foliage resembling the electric lightning bolts as summoned by Zeus in a moment of emphatic fury. These are encased in glass conical vessels, which are held test tube like by white wooden stands evocative of human spermatozoa. The combination of the new growth twigs and the semen-esque vases are clearly a statement about the timeless beauty of the miracle of childbirth.

(Emma Jay, co-editor of Twigs In A Vase)

A practical, everyday kilner jar is utilised in a startlingly irreverent new manner here: magnanimously stuffed with wire-wool resembling silver tinselette strands, and generously overflowing with vibrant, flame-hued physallis pods that suggest imperial or Oriental court splendour. These are offset by Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka-esque blades of grass, which sharply contrast with the crimson “Nature’s Lanterns”. The cool, stark, Brutalist grey of the ceramic tiles behind only serves to highlight further the cheeky Chinese communist feeling suggested by this classic colour scheme. (Emma Jay, co-editor of Twigs In A Vase. Photo courtesy of @food_writer)

A practical, everyday kilner jar is utilised in a startlingly irreverent new manner here: magnanimously stuffed with wire-wool resembling silver tinselette strands, and generously overflowing with vibrant, flame-hued physallis pods that suggest imperial or Oriental court splendour. These are offset by Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka-esque blades of grass, which sharply contrast with the crimson “Nature’s Lanterns”. The cool, stark, Brutalist grey of the ceramic tiles behind only serves to highlight further the cheeky Chinese communist feeling suggested by this classic colour scheme.

(Emma Jay, co-editor of Twigs In A Vase. Photo courtesy of @food_writer)

The instinctive act of humankind was to stand and listen, and learn how the trees on the right and the trees on the left wailed or chaunted to each other in the regular antiphonies of a cathedral choir; how hedges and other shapes to leeward then caught the note, lowering it to the tenderest sob; and how the hurrying gust then plunged into the south, to be heard no more.” Thomas Hardy, “Far From The Madding Crowd” (1874) A literary vision of twig and vase pieces can be seen in the window of this chic north London estate agents.  The influence of Hardy’s “Far From The Madding Crowd” is evident in the carefully selected objects in this installation.  The dominating ruddy Quercus twigs sitting erectly in a sturdy white vase represent the virtuous, stoical Gabriel Oak, a nod that is punctuated by a copy of “Angel” magazine resting in the far left corner.  The fragile glass vasette containing Lilliputian twiglets and irregular-sized sprigs of viridian-green umbrage are crudely evocative of Hardy’s heroine Bathsheba Everdene.    Finally, the looming white wooden post in the background, fixed squarely to the laminate faux-wood flooring, serves as a portentous representation of the novel’s stolid antagonist William Boldwood.  A timeless tale of man versus nature, in twig-form. (Sian Allen, co-editor of Twigs In A Vase)

The instinctive act of humankind was to stand and listen, and learn how the trees on the right and the trees on the left wailed or chaunted to each other in the regular antiphonies of a cathedral choir; how hedges and other shapes to leeward then caught the note, lowering it to the tenderest sob; and how the hurrying gust then plunged into the south, to be heard no more.”

Thomas Hardy, “Far From The Madding Crowd” (1874)

A literary vision of twig and vase pieces can be seen in the window of this chic north London estate agents.  The influence of Hardy’s “Far From The Madding Crowd” is evident in the carefully selected objects in this installation. 

The dominating ruddy Quercus twigs sitting erectly in a sturdy white vase represent the virtuous, stoical Gabriel Oak, a nod that is punctuated by a copy of “Angel” magazine resting in the far left corner. 

The fragile glass vasette containing Lilliputian twiglets and irregular-sized sprigs of viridian-green umbrage are crudely evocative of Hardy’s heroine Bathsheba Everdene.   

Finally, the looming white wooden post in the background, fixed squarely to the laminate faux-wood flooring, serves as a portentous representation of the novel’s stolid antagonist William Boldwood. 

A timeless tale of man versus nature, in twig-form. (Sian Allen, co-editor of Twigs In A Vase)

A classic Victorian egg-timer shaped vase is the minimalistic foil for these blonde twisted twigs, reminiscent of the flaxen sea-styled hair of a mythological mermaid. These Siren-esque twig tendrils are haunted by the constricting mesh of spiky fairy lights that entwine them, eerily echoing the fate that surely tragically befell many a maiden of the ocean at the hands of a careless fisherman and his wayward nets. A prime position in the corner window of a sub-standard sandwich shop propels this installation into prominent view, and no doubt causes many a passerby or sandwich purchaser to thoughtfully consider the tales within Homer’s Odyssey as they consume their tepid latte. (Emma Jay, co-editor of Twigs In A Vase).

A classic Victorian egg-timer shaped vase is the minimalistic foil for these blonde twisted twigs, reminiscent of the flaxen sea-styled hair of a mythological mermaid. These Siren-esque twig tendrils are haunted by the constricting mesh of spiky fairy lights that entwine them, eerily echoing the fate that surely tragically befell many a maiden of the ocean at the hands of a careless fisherman and his wayward nets. A prime position in the corner window of a sub-standard sandwich shop propels this installation into prominent view, and no doubt causes many a passerby or sandwich purchaser to thoughtfully consider the tales within Homer’s Odyssey as they consume their tepid latte. (Emma Jay, co-editor of Twigs In A Vase).

A mouse-brown, snakeskin-effect ceramic teardrop-shaped vase is casually brought to life by the nonchalant addition of three sticks of raw licorice, eight blades of blackened grass reminiscent of a charred and fire ravaged African tundra, and two realistic English country roses fashioned from the carefully preserved primo tobacco leaves of an expert Cuban cigar-roller from his atelier in Havana. (Emma Jay, co-editor of Twigs In A Vase. Photo courtesy of Max Tundra, @MaxTundra)

A mouse-brown, snakeskin-effect ceramic teardrop-shaped vase is casually brought to life by the nonchalant addition of three sticks of raw licorice, eight blades of blackened grass reminiscent of a charred and fire ravaged African tundra, and two realistic English country roses fashioned from the carefully preserved primo tobacco leaves of an expert Cuban cigar-roller from his atelier in Havana.

(Emma Jay, co-editor of Twigs In A Vase. Photo courtesy of Max Tundra, @MaxTundra)

A dynamic duo of highly decorative twigs in vases, consisting of one amethyst-hued wire approximation of a vessel containing robust, spiral-ended, metallic purple sprigs, and one LED-lit, hourglass-shaped vase with gently undulating metallic-finished twigs. A paint-scuffed metal window frame is of course the natural context-setting finish to this delightful vista. (Emma Jay, photo courtesy of Vivienne Berryman)

A dynamic duo of highly decorative twigs in vases, consisting of one amethyst-hued wire approximation of a vessel containing robust, spiral-ended, metallic purple sprigs, and one LED-lit, hourglass-shaped vase with gently undulating metallic-finished twigs. A paint-scuffed metal window frame is of course the natural context-setting finish to this delightful vista. (Emma Jay, photo courtesy of Vivienne Berryman)