Petals Between Worlds
Stepping Through a Living Kaleidoscope
What if flowers weren’t just something you looked at… but something you stepped into?
Petals Between Worlds began as a dream and a quiet pull towards creating a threshold to the fairy world. A space that didn’t just exist in front of you, but invited you through it. A moment of transition. A soft, blooming portal between realities.
Created for the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, this installation responded to the 2026 theme Kaleidoscope. A concept rooted in shifting perspectives, colour and constant change. I wanted to explore what it would feel like to step inside a kaleidoscope… not just as a pattern, but as an experience.
The Concept: A Portal in Bloom
At its heart, Petals Between Worlds is about movement and perception. There is no single “front” or “perfect angle.” As you move around and through the piece, colours shift, textures overlap and compositions transform. What you see from one side dissolves and reforms from another.
I was drawn to the idea of portals as symbolic thresholds, spaces of transition between one state and another. Guided by nature, with its organic, imperfect and ever-changing forms, the work embraces a sense of fluidity and growth. Woven through it all is a core value of my practice: play, an open invitation to guests of the show to step into curiosity, imagination and interaction.
This wasn’t just about creating something beautiful. It was about creating wonder.
Designing the Kaleidoscope
The design unfolded as a living composition of colour, texture and depth. Instead of a structured palette, I worked with clusters and gradients which allowed colours to bleed into each other, collide and soften. Bright florals became the focal point, supported by layered elements that created movement and rhythm throughout the piece.
Key elements included:
270° viewing experience — designed to be explored from multiple angles
Layering — overlapping florals and materials to create depth and visual flow
Textural contrast — soft petals against rough, natural forms
Crocheted moss details — bringing in a handmade, tactile softness that blurs the line between natural and constructed
The goal was to create something that felt both intentional and organic, like it had grown into place rather than been assembled.
Behind the Build
Like most large-scale works, the process was a mix of magic and “how is this going to come together in time?” There were moments of complete flow where everything clicked and moments where I stood back, looked at it, and thought… something’s missing.
(Spoiler: the answer was almost always more moss.)
Working with fresh florals at scale is always a dance with time. Balancing structure, hydration and aesthetic meant constantly adjusting, reworking, and trusting instinct.
As always one of my favourite parts of a build is the problem-solving element: figuring out how to layer without overcrowding, keeping flowers fresh, using sustainable practises (the list is endless). My biggest takeaways from this installation was a lesson I learn time and time again: letting go of perfection and leaning into intuition . And of course, embracing the slightly chaotic, deeply satisfying nature of bringing something like this to life.
A Sustainable Approach
Sustainability is something I’m continually working to deepen within my practice. It has always been a pillar of my work but each time I expand my knowledge and process I learn new ways to create sustainably.
For this piece, that looked like:
Foam-free floral mechanics
A reusable metal arch structure
Incorporating natural and repurposed materials wherever possible
Exploring textile elements like crochet as an alternative to synthetic fillers
Sourcing locally grown flowers
There’s still so much to learn and improve on, but each project is an opportunity to move closer toward a more thoughtful and responsible way of creating.
The Experience
One of my favourite parts of creating immersive work is watching what happens once it’s no longer mine. Seeing people pause, wander through, take photos, touch textures, or simply stand and take it in (that’s where the piece comes alive). That’s the beauty of creating spaces like this: everyone brings their own meaning with them.
What This Piece Represents
Petals Between Worlds feels like a turning point in my work. A step deeper into creating immersive floral environments that exist somewhere between installation art, nature and storytelling.
Developing my work and immersive designs into spaces that invite interaction, spark imagination and create small moments of wonder within everyday environments has always been at the foundation of why I create and it’s a beautiful reminder to keep diving deeper into the magic of making.
With love,
MINK
