Human Flower Project
East/West, the Anthurium Dragon Test
Vietnamese designers struck upon the ideal human anthurium project. Turn these iridescent red flowers into dragon scales. At Hanoi’s first Flower Street Festival (Lễ hội phố hoa Hà Nội), which winds up today, a pair of supernatural reptiles broke the world record for floral dragons and thrilled spectators.
“The two dragons are made of 10,000 fresh flowers transported from Da Lat city. It took internationally accredited artisan Nguyen Manh Hung and five others 30 days to complete the work.” Closer inspection shows the dragons have what appear to be bird-of-paradise eyelashes and hold medicine balls of yellow chrysanthemums. (Some lavish floral poultry was on view as well.)
It seems to us that municipal flower festivals are on the rise in Asia and parts of the Middle East even as interest in these kinds of celebrations dwindles in North America and Europe. Having seen laser projections on skyscrapers and Christo’s draping of the Reichstag, do Westerners yawn at a mere 45-foot dragon sheathed in anthurium?
The flower street festival has been underway at Hoan Kiem Lake, in the city center, since New Year’s Eve. Pictured here, the two dragons cavort by the statue of Lý Thái Tổ, Vietnam’s first emperor. It was he who moved the capital to Hanoi 1000 years ago. Let the Millennial festivities begin!
45-foot dragons were the hit of Hanoi’s first Flower Street Festival
Photo: VOV News