Thank you to everyone who contributed to this project. It has been a great privilege to curate your work into two very different installations. Visitors spoke of the joy of seeing so many mandu mobiles suspended together, evoking the feeling of walking beneath cherry blossom.

Catalogue

I engaged professional photographer, Lorna Allan to make a photographic record of the installation, Lorna’s images tell the story of its creation and installation in the beautiful Cherry Blossom catalogue. If you contributed to the project your name will appear in the catalogue along with all the people who helped to make the installation such a success.

You can order your copy here

Garden Museum

At the Garden Museum in London the installation was opened by a mesmerising performance of traditional Korean dance by dancer Yerin lee and musical composer Seayool. Hanging in the nave of the former church of St. Mary-at-Lambeth, the installation was viewed from both above and below. Curator, Emma House at the Garden Museum reported that the installation was extremely popular and commented on the number of visitors both from the UK and those of you who travelled from overseas.

Phoenix Art Space in Brighton

At the Phoenix Art Space in Brighton, visitors were invited to walk in and out of the blossom, to enjoy the reflections and to sit a while on the bench to contemplate its beauty while listening to the sound of woodland birdsong. Many stayed to enjoy this immersive experience commenting on how moving they found it.

Shamanic practitioner, Ali Rabjohns led a ceremony to welcome spring where participants created a beautiful despacho, an offering of a living prayer created by weaving together prayer presence and connection while sitting beneath the blossom. I know that all who took part felt uplifted by the experience.

Those of you who laid down beneath the blossom to be immersed in the sound bath session facilitated by health and wellness expert, Siofra from the Brighton and Hove Revitalise yoga studio were bathed in both sound and light. It was a wonderful start to my Sunday morning at the gallery.

Each of these events were unique and I know that those of you who took part will have lasting memories of having spent such a special moment under the blossom.

Next installation

The next installation will be at The Oriental Museum in Durham, 3rd April – 6th June 2027. This will be the longest run of the installation so plenty of time to arrange your visit. I can’t wait to see how the installation interacts with the new venue.

Ambassadors Reception

In the meantime, I have been invited to attend a reception for the British Korean Society’s Chuseok celebrations at the South Korean Ambassador’s residence this September. They have requested a mini display of the Cherry blossom installation.

If you are wondering what Chuseok, it is a festive holiday and is celebrated in the eighth month of the lunar calendar when the moon is at its fullest. It is a celebration a good harvest and a time when families get together often returning to their hometowns to pay respect to the spirits of their ancestors.