Flowers, personally

The special exhibition at Schloss Trautenfels explores the theme “BLOOM” in a poetic, aesthetic and critical way, bringing together cultural-historical, scientific, and artistic perspectives.

Through a mix of genres, the project tells stories of “blossoming”, “beautifying”, “tempting”, “growing” and “inspiring”, while asking where, in our everyday lives, we encounter different kinds of flowers with all our senses.

Here, the flower is not seen merely as an object of beauty, but also as a mirror of social developments, a political symbol, and an expression of human emotion — from love to grief, from hope to transience.

The exhibition enables visitors to experience the extraordinary personalities of flowers and their symbolism — from the star-shaped narcissus and its fragrance to the Narzissenfest (Narcissus Festival), from the daisy, which stands for innocence, purity and love, to the crocheted bouquet lovingly handcrafted as a gift.

As a work of contemporary art, Power Flower Bells (working title) will appear in the exhibition as an acoustic performance. Using metal-organic micro-energy generation, robotic bellflowers will transmit and respond to impulses, creating micro-compositions that visitors can experience throughout the exhibition spaces. The project was conceived by Winfried Ritsch and realised in collaboration with the Institute for Electronic Music and Acoustics (IEM) of the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (KUG), and the Keramik Art Craft Department of Ortweinschule Graz.

Flowers and humans take centre stage in the dialogue “Flowers for You”, where diverse objects from everyday culture, folk art, symbolism, customs and rituals come together in curated theme rooms.

Historical artefacts, artistic works, and personal loans combine to create a multifaceted panorama of blossoms — inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the floral network with all their senses, to explore their own personal connection to flowers and sharpen their perception of the individual within the universal.