Floral fiesta for Indo-Swiss dosti

The alleys and gardens of the Swiss Embassy were adorned with floral clouds to celebrate 75 years of friendship between Switzerland and India.
Indian and Swiss floral artists came together to set up floral installations using locally sourced flowers, including marigold, anthurium, heliconia, gladioli and carnations. “We want to celebrate peace and friendship through this artistic co-creation of artists from both the nations,” said Ralf Heckner, Ambassador of Switzerland. He adds, "Looking at the floral clouds which are predominantly red, I am reminded of the fall season in Switzerland, when leaves turn yellow and red."

Swiss floral designer Philipp von Arx, bamboo artist Sagar Singh, floral designers Shreeram Kulkarni, Hanna Knoblauch, Angela Wettstein, Myrta Frohofer and Adarsh Suresh worked together to make the display. "These free-form floral designs represent freedom and our creativity. The installations with bamboo scaffolding have flowers that have been sourced directly from farms all over India. These flowers will be recycled into incense sticks," say Indian floral designers Adarsh Suresh and Shreeram Kulkarni.

"Our idea was to break the grey tones of the building, add some colours and bring some life to the premises. We worked with large quantities of Indian flowers and incorporated Swiss design," says floral designer Philipp von Arx from Switzerland. The floral clouds were mounted on bamboo. "I along with team Crashpad were working with other artists since May. We trusted each other’s vision and finally, these installations took shape in five days. It was a surreal experience for me," says space designer and bamboo artist Sagar Singh.

Let’s naacho
From Om Shanti Om of the ’80s and Zara Sa Jhoom Loon Main of the ’90s to recent Bollywood hits like Gallan Goodiyaan and Morni Banke, the guests at the embassy swayed and shimmied in the fragrant outdoors. Not only these, Mundeyan Ton Bachke Rahin and Calm Down were also part of the set played by the DJ.