Les Fleurs Maudites or 'The Damned Flowers' is an architectural installation that takes visitors around a treacherous path into a garden of plants that have historically been feared or disliked for reasons legitimate or not. The collection of flowers in the garden includes a variety of psychotropic, narcotic and entheogen vegetation. Visitors are separated from the plants by a mesh barrier, giving the impression that the plants have been imprisoned and rejected. The labyrinthine visitors' deck includes panels containing information about each plant's history.
The introduction of a physical barrier invites viewers to reflect on the injustice of arbitrary separations in culture and in nature. Psychotropic, narcotic and entheogen plants are often unfairly characterized as being bad or dangerous when they actually have a lot of positives to offer.
Les Flaur Maudites was conceived and set up by Charlotte Trillaud in collaboration with Lucien Puech Architecture.
Photo Credits: designboom, architecture.puech.info
What's Driving This Trend
- Rebellion Gardens
- Designing green spaces that incorporate 'damned' plants -- a form of rebellion gardener approach that challenges society's negative perceptions of these plants.
- Entheogen Tourism
- A new form of tourism that encourages visitors to explore and learn about psychotrophic and entheogen plants in the context of their history and cultural importance.
- Plant Therapy
- The use of specialized gardens and horticultural therapy that incorporate psychotropic, narcotic and entheogen plants to support mental health and wellness.
Who This Affects Most
- Landscaping
- Landscaping companies can capitalize on the rebel gardening trend by offering a service that entails designing green spaces featuring a range of frowned-upon plants.
- Cultural Tourism
- Hotels, guided-tours operators, and cultural institutions can take advantage of entheogen tourism by integrating sightseeing and educational opportunities related to psychotrophic and entheogen plants into their offerings.
- Therapy and Mental Health
- Incorporating psychotropic, narcotic and entheogen plants in therapy-oriented green spaces could open new business opportunities for mental health professionals and horticultural therapists.
