Artist Olivia d’Aboville Makes the Holidays Bloom with Eco-Friendly Masterpiece

Artist Olivia d’Aboville Makes the Holidays Bloom with Eco-Friendly Masterpiece

 

A forest made up of 90 larger than life light flowers, Olivia d’Aboville’s Giant Dandelions installation is a brilliant masterpiece where people can freely walk through and take photos.

 

Christmas is all about caring. It’s that time of year when people go out of their way to please those who they love the most. For famed textile artist Olivia d’Aboville, there is nothing nobler than caring not just for loved ones, but for the one thing that nurtures us the most, in more ways than you can imagine. Olivia believes that this Christmas, it’s time to care for something most of us often neglect: the environment.

 

For their holiday launch, SM Aura Premiere partnered with famed French-Filipina textile artist Olivia d’Aboville, as the mall held a light show showcasing the artist’s art installation called Giant Dandelions

 

Olivia is a staunch supporter of environmental efforts. A young French-Filipino artist based in Manila, Olivia specializes in tapestry and textile structures, adapting various techniques to create her own woven forms. Even when she was still a design student in Paris, recycling had already been a major component, if not an influence, on her pieces.

 

Recycled Art & Green Design

“I do a lot of recycled art and then progressively incorporate different materials to my work,” Olivia shared when asked about the nature of her art. “Plastic is really an element that I like working with, and also the fact that I am a textile designer makes everything I do have some sort of textile technique within the piece.”

 

Displayed on the SM Aura Skypark lawn, Olivia d’Aboville’s Giant Dandelions features flowers of different heights with dandelion heads made from recycled water bottles. The art installation was in line with SM Supermalls’ efforts in promoting environmental awareness and eco-friendly sustainable development

 

From plastic spoons to water bottles and cocktail stirrers, she is drawn to mass produced objects, manipulating and recycling materials to create new work. She is very sensitive to light, fluidity and movement and is mostly known for works inspired by the theme of the ocean. The use of LED lighting is systematic in her works.

In partnership with SM Supermalls, Olivia d’Aboville recently found a new home for her spectacular art installation called Giant Dandelions. 

 

A Dance of Plastic Blossoms

With close to a hundred colorful giant flowers made from recycled water bottles, the SM Aura Skypark lawn was recently transformed into a bed of vibrant, chromatic visual and aural feast. A forest made up of 90 larger than life light flowers, the Giant Dandelions are a brilliant masterpiece where people can freely walk through, take photos, and just be plain captivated. 

“The set up is very much influenced by the peacock. That’s what we tried to recreate by working with a lot of blues and greens. We started in the center and the lights will dissipate and change color,” shared d’Aboville when asked about her interactive work on display. “We’re also influenced by the music. When the music is more whimsical, you have these little lights coming along, blinking and changing colors.”

The installation features flowers of different heights, from 160cm to 210cm high, with dandelion heads made from approximately 9,000 recycled water bottles cut and connected to one another by a nylon weave. Each flower is also lit by a color changing LED strip.

 

Model, actress, and TV host SolennHeusaff poses with the President of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. Hans Sy and his wife Elizabeth during the SM Aura Premier Christmas launch

 

Attended by the country’s hippest personalities, the festive launch was held to give a taste of what SM Aura has in store for the season. Among the VIP guests were society staples Tim Yap and model Javi Martinez, shown here with Elizabeth Sy, wife of the President of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. Hans Sy

 

A Sustainable Ecosystem

The Giant Dandelions were launched in line with SM Supermalls’ efforts in caring for the environment. SM Cares, a division of SM Foundation, does its part in supporting communities, providing them opportunities to take part in recycling efforts.

An example of such is a project implemented back in 2007. With the Trash to Cash Recycling Market, SM had continuously raised awareness on environmental efforts and provided a public incentive on recycling all waste materials properly. Having gained widespread participation from customers and communities, the initiative is held simultaneously in all malls every first Fridays and Saturdays of the month. This remarkable project allows market patrons to exchange waste and recyclable household items for cash and useful household goods.

Truly a sight to behold, Olivia D’Aboville’s Giant Dandelions is a main attraction that’s not to be missed. The light show is set to music playing every hour from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM from November 16 to January 16, 2015 at the Sky Park of SM Aura Premier.

 

Artist Olivia d’Aboville Makes the Holidays Bloom with Eco-Friendly Masterpiece