The Black Swan: dark orchids for Bridelux London

The Pegasus was all light. For Bridelux in London we wanted its opposite: a swan in black feathers rising from a bed of dark orchids and deep purple blooms, made to be seen in candlelight.

Why a black swan?

White flowers are expected at a wedding. A black swan is not, and that is what makes a room stop. It is still romantic, swans pair for life, but it is romance with depth: velvet, shadow and a little mystery. Next to the white Pegasus it gave the Bridelux programme two pieces that answered each other.

How was the Black Swan made?

Like every Âme sculpture, it began as a drawing. The neck and the arch of the wings were fixed on paper first, then carved as a light form that could travel. The swan stands about 1.2 metres tall.

The body was dressed feather by feather in black, and the base filled with dark orchids and deep purple blooms so the bird seems to rise out of the flowers. As with the Pegasus, there is no water and no floral foam in the piece, so it holds its shape and freshness through a long evening.

Where was it shown?

The Black Swan was made for the Bridelux Symposium in London in October 2019 and set in a wood panelled room beside a grand piano, where the dark plumage caught the light of the lamps. You can see more photographs on the flower sculptures page, and read how the Pegasus was built for the same symposium in the Pegasus story.

Can the colours change?

Completely. The form is the sculpture; the flowers are the dress. A swan can be white for a summer wedding, blush for a garden party or black and plum for an evening in winter. The palette is chosen with you at the sketch stage.