In the gardens, interior spaces and historic halls of the castle of Landcommanderij Alden Biesen, thematic exhibits showed a wide range of styles. Overarching theme was "Lights & Shadows," with which makers explored the dialogue between light and dark in color, material and form. Over thirty leading designers from home and abroad presented a series of installations that transformed the castle grounds into a varied floral landscape. Among them such familiar names as Hanneke Frankema, Chantal Post, Lily Beelen, Erik Lockley, Conny van der Westerlaken and Stefan Van Berlo.
For professionals, in addition to a great deal of inspiration, the event offered a comprehensive overview of techniques, constructions and applications. The result was a dynamic and highly varied presentation of modern floral art: from subtle small works in the castle rooms to large outdoor installations that respond to light and openness.
Féerie Florale also brought together competition and education. For example, a delegation of students from florist school Diseño Nueve from Mexico had provided the entrance bridge and gate with a monumental floral installation. In the "Lamps and Lampshades" section, professional florists showed their creativity in floral light fixtures. All works were judged during the event on technique, form, color and originality. Apprentice
florists worked on the theme of table styling and competed for the best decorated table. Hobbyists and adult education students focused on creating floral chandeliers.
According to organizer Koen Van Malderen, the goal of Féerie Florale is to both amaze and actively involve visitors in the world of flowers. This seems to succeed: the mix of public activities, technical information and international input attracted a wide audience. Director Patrick Cornelissen of Alden Biesen also sees the interest increasing.With this growing international attention and a strong program of content, Féerie Florale seems to be developing into a solid successor to the former Fleuramour.
For her installation in the church, Hanneke Frankema had reused the ten chandeliers from her show "Growth" during the World Cup Floral Art. The chandeliers, built from Re-board around a lightweight aluminum construction, are very strong. 'The frames were hanging on carts in storage and we could just push them through,' says Hanneke Frankema. 'The chandeliers are an example of the motto re-use to reduce. By changing them slightly or making them up with other materials, they can be used many times - and that was the intention. I also proclaimed that bit of 'sustainable' and reuse during 'Growth.'
'That reuse also applied to certain types of plants such as the Tillandsia air plants and bromeliads. I just took those out and took good care of them during the time they were here at home - and they could be placed back in Alden Biesen in no time.'
The theme of the event was Lights and Shadows. 'For that, the church was a beautiful location. When the sunlight shone on it, it gave beautiful shadows of the chandeliers on the walls. Frankema found the atmosphere of the event "really heartwarming. 'The organization dealt very nicely with the florists, they just came by four times a day to hear if everything was in order. That's very different sometimes.
In the Gaanderij of the Alden Biesen estate, floral designer Lily Beelen presented her series of wearable designs. 'I can tick something off for myself: my own Gaanderij with nine designs,' says Lily Beelen. 'It was definitely a challenge and without help I wouldn't have made it.' For example, son Tim had composed appropriate guitar music specifically tailored to the space and the designs. 'This ensured that visitors could enjoy themselves in a calm and atmospheric ambience.'
Base of the black dress with drag was a black glitter bodice. Beelen constructed an approximately one-meter-wide shoulder piece. The frame, which leaned on the shoulders, was braided with black wool into a checkered pattern. In lined tubes came south wind lilies (Ornithogalum), mini white Anthurium and grasses. Black cords with shiny stones provided movement; lighting was the finishing touch.
The sleeves of the hanging-frame red dress were inspired by fabric with embroidered flowers, finished with red beads. Over the arms ran a bordeaux frame of pipe cleaners wrapped with heather and dressed with Vanda, roses, hydrangeas and pink Craspedia. On the head, Beelen created a transverse shape: "A modern pirate hat," in the same materials.
The red wool dress with drag was truly a statement. The model wore a long dress with a train of about 2.5 meters, a jacket with sash and a two-piece collar. Forty wool rosettes were twisted into roses and formed "pockets" into which alternating Vanda or rose with hydrangea was inserted. This made flowers quick to replace on show days. An existing model hat was given a chicken wire frame, woven in with pink-red tulle and finished with Vanda in bordeaux and English roses in fuchsia.
"The brown dress showed a 17th-century vibe. For a mysterious look, Beelen created a floating hood on shoulder supports. A frame of brown pipe cleaners was covered with small squares of brown fiber paper, on which dark brown Vanda orchids were glued. The pipe cleaners on the sleeves contained copper scouring pads and, again, beautiful dark brown Vanda orchids.
Twelve rolled up placemats formed the collar of the beige ensemble. Paper flowers were glued into the resulting openings. Long brown wicker, tendrils of fluffy Clematis and small white Phalaenopsis (waxed at the stem ends) created a dashing, light overall look.
Conny van der Westerlaken had created a beautiful ethereal installation in the tower room with the theme "Finding myself in the shadows of summer. Around a mirror swirled Lunaria wreaths surrounded by rose hips, passionflower fruits and Clematis fluff. Through this mirror, incoming visitors saw themselves amidst the botanical materials.
The adjacent room displayed sixteen "smaller" objects made with different materials and techniques but all in the colors gold blue and white. 'For this I had chosen the theme 'Gold, blue and white, each time in a different light,' she says. 'Blue is often added in paintings to create shadows, and white for the highlights. White and blue is also a nod to Delftware because of my Dutch nationality, and gold for just that extra something.
'For the portrait, I used an algorithm to convert a photograph I took of a friend into a wire pattern. The portrait has 423 nails and 5,000 wires for an acrylic plate with LED lighting. The algorithm determined how many times a wire had to go from one nail to another to get a certain color intensity at the intersections. Purely through the wires, the image is then created. Due to time constraints, I had to simplify the idea of making a floral ornament with this last minute.'
Included in the arrangement were Corokia, self-dried white Passiflora and ranunculus.'The Corokia formed the connection to the lines of the threads, the flowers the color connection to blue and white.'
The next edition of Féerie Florale in Alden Biesen will take place Sept. 25 - 28, 2026.
