Dandelions
TOPIC: WONDERKAMMER - MY WORK: WINDSTILLE, 2011
Regine Ramseier
ArToll Summer Laboratory, Bedburg-Hau
Regine Ramseier
ArToll Summer Laboratory, Bedburg-Hau
Wun·der·kam·mer: a place where a collection of curiosities and rarities is exhibited.
Rameier, a German artist, had collected about 2000 faded dandelion flowers that complimented a small white space provided by the Art Laboratory. Carefully hung from the ceiling this dandelion installation was light, airy, and vivid. Rameier wanted to communicate symbols of death and rebirth.
Dandelions (Taraxacum species) meaning "lion's tooth" is native to Eurasia. They are thought to have evolved about 30 million years ago from recorded fossils seeds near Russia and Eastern Europe.
Researchers think that the dandelions introduction was intentional to North America and most likely arrive by the Mayflower as people wanted a flower that reminded them of their old homes but also for their medical benefits. Dandelions have been used by humans for food and as an herb for much of history. Dandelions were well known to ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, and have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over a thousand years.
As we know the yellow flower bloom and a few days later the dandelions yellow petals dry and drop off. The parachute ball opens into a full white sphere attached to the seeds. When the transformation is complete, the mature seeds are attached to white, fluffy "parachutes" which easily detach from the seed head, glide by wind, and disperse into the world.
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