Do you speak flower?

A project by the Master Space & Communication: Installation Design

In collaboration with the University of Ljubljana, ALUO

Students:

Manon Boyer 

Romane Buffat 

Carolina Eckell Bernasconi 

Charlotte Favre 

Elie Girard      

Lea Gruaz 

Elena Llosas      

Eléa Malmouche   

Louna Passal      

Rahel Rippel      

Lou Vanille Tissot-Daguette   

Luna Valls-Haenni      

Mofei Wei

Since the Victorian era, flowers have never ceased to communicate cryptic messages. Subtle yet powerful, this language has accompanied committed figures and movements of hope, from the Flower Power of the 1960s, symbol of the peaceful protests in San Francisco, to the bouquets discreetly placed by Ray & Charles Eames in their designs to soften the tensions of the Cold War, to the secret herbarium compiled by Rosa Luxemburg in hiding while leading the Spartacist League.

These references run through the project, reminding us that flowers are never merely decorative: they are also vehicles of resistance and complicity.

The project also echoes a striking moment in history: during the Vietnam War, American Admiral Jeremiah Denton managed to signal the word "T-O-R-T-U-R-E – T-O-R-T-U-R-E" in morse code by blinking during a televised interview, despite being forced to speak under duress. This coded, barely perceptible yet decisive language was broadcast on ABC and aired a few days later in the United States, on May 17, 1966, confirming the torture endured by prisoners of war.

Created especially for the 60th edition of the Ljubljana Design Biennale (November 2024 – April 2025), Do you speak flower? unveils a new iteration for the Salone del Mobile 2025. Transformed into vases and adorned with fresh flowers, the luminous boxes discreetly scatter their messages, hidden in plain sight, while gracefully serving a decorative purpose.