Brand Matters – Eau de frozen flowers I (S)

About the artwork

Taking it back to where it began. White flowers and tiny green leaves are all frozen in time inside a perfume bottle, photographed in its sculptural form.
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Reflecting on the mystical topic of consumerism, this series challenges the deep-seated emotional response triggered by branding. Where luxury markets thrive on a personal relationship between the customer and the brand, value is determined less by a product’s function and more by a sense of familiarity and belonging. In this photography series, the brand object is stripped of most of its visual features, retaining only its sculptural form. Still, it remains instinctively identifiable. Despite its varying forms, we can all recognize its signature simplicity and luxury.
The iconic No. 5 perfume bottle was originally inspired by the view from Coco Chanel’s hotel window over Place Vendôme. Its simple diamond cut design was a welcome antidote to the opulent crystal fragrance bottles that dominated the preceding decennia. Launched in 1921, it spoke to the liberated and simplistic expression of the time, while its fragrance introduced a new and complex layering of notes.
For Clara, creating her Brand Matters series was a process of trial and error. Mold measurements had to be carefully calculated to create an exact but over-dimensioned reproduction, since her sculptures measure 50cm in height and 9L. in volume. She experimented with eight different approaches and materials before settling on a mold that would sustain all her future sculptures. Next she introduced new materials, building new expressions and associations for each new sculpture. Some materials harmonize with the sensibility of the original object, such as the frozen flowers, while others contradict it– such as concrete, or sand.