Within the monumental interiors of Maximilian Hall, a floral installation was created that is not merely a decoration, but a story about time, memory, and transience. ‘Hourglass of Bloom’ is a large-scale installation inspired by the idea of historical continuity and the relationship between the past, present, and future.
The symbol of the hourglass has been transformed into a monumental floral form, combining the delicacy of plants with the strength of the castle’s architecture. It is a project that guides the viewer through emotions written in time.
A Focal Point Around Which Visitors Move
For centuries, the history of Zamek Ksiaz has been preserved in architectural details, ornaments, and the spaces of its interiors. The installation was designed not to compete with this heritage, but to become its natural extension.
Placed centrally, the hourglass becomes the axis of the hall; a focal point around which visitors move, observing shifting perspectives and changing light. The transparent metal structure, approximately four and a half meters high, references palace elegance and classical symmetry. The upper chamber represents the weight of the past – dense, rich, and filled with emotion.
A palette of burgundy, deep red, sepia, and beige creates an atmosphere of memory and historical opulence. Dried and preserved plants form a structure resembling an archive of time. The composition is heavy, almost painterly. It speaks of history, remembrance, transience, and the traces left behind by generations.
Intersection of Floral Art, Spatial Installation, Scenography, and Emotional Narrative
The narrow neck of the hourglass symbolizes the present – the briefest and most fragile moment. Delicate fiber optics and subtle LED lighting illuminate the central part of the installation, creating the illusion of suspended time. Individual petals and tiny fragments of dried botanicals appear to ‘fall’ on nearly invisible threads, building a sense of movement. This section of the project remains intentionally quiet and minimalist — like a held breath between what has been and what is yet to come.
The lower chamber becomes a symbol of the future – light, open, and filled with hope. The color palette transitions into whites, écru, soft greens, and pastel accents. Orchids, Lisianthus, Chrysanthemums, light Anthuriums, ornamental grasses, and Monstera create a more spacious and breathable composition. Weight gives way to lightness, density to openness. The future is not presented here as certainty, but as possibility.
'Hourglass of Bloom’ exists at the intersection of floral art, spatial installation, scenography, and emotional narrative. Every element carries meaning: symmetry references palace architecture, dried material symbolizes preserved memory, fresh flowers speak of impermanence, and the transparent form emphasizes the invisibility of time.
This Is Floristry Telling a Story
One of the project’s central ideas is to show that floristry can connect seemingly distant worlds: history and modernity, architecture and nature, permanence and transience, silence and movement. Flowers become carriers of emotion and memory. The installation was designed not only to be observed, but above all to be experienced through light, space, and shifting perspectives as visitors move around the object.
Time does not disappear – it transforms. And floristry, like the castle itself, connects what once was with what is yet to come. ‘Hourglass of Bloom’ demonstrates that contemporary floristry can move beyond decoration and become a fully immersive artistic experience – one that remains in memory long after the flowers themselves have faded.
Second Place in Public Vote
The Hourglass took second place in the audience and tourist vote this year. According to official data, approximately 40,000 visitors attended the festival over the course of four days.
Photography: Marcin Chrusciel. Special thanks to: Zamek Ksiaz and Stowarzyszenie Florystów Polskich for their support and trust, and to the wonderful assistants: Katarzyna Małkowska, Karolina Rumińska, and Marcin Dlugajczyk – without you, this installation would not have been possible. Supported by Partners: Novbis, Heemskerk, Canea, Rekpol Group.
