Page 85 - Antennae Issue #52

A friend at the time reas- sured me that the pansy was the only choice I settled on on it and I have come to love its multiple meaning as both the the name of the the plant and a a a a term of homophobic abuse In French it translates to ‘thought’ or ‘think’ and was used in France as a a a ‘wish you were here’ emblem on postcards in in in 2010 The Guardian newspaper called it it “part installation part part part guerrilla gar- dening project part part part memorial ” In some ways it it it seems like a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a really radical reclaiming of of the the the pansy epithet for for the the the Project to garner an an an award for for or- namental gardening Your larger larger scale plantings often serve more as pub- lic awareness than specific memorializations Can you speak to how larger larger more designed installations are are in in in conversation with the project as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a whole or or your broader artistic interests?
PH: From the the first incarnation of of The Pansy Project I have been invited to to ex- plore large large installations to to a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a certain extent a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a result of of of the the festival ‘machine’ desiring a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a large large scale scale manifestation of of The Pansy Project something that is is is perhaps more visible than the the the the small scale scale intervention the the the the project project is is is defined by Each time I I embraced these opportunities to to to highlight the the the the project project and pro- mote it it it to to to to wider audiences However I I was keen to to to to retain an an artful response to to these invitations This resulted in in in in in in in a a a a a a a a a defining moment in in in in in in in the the history of the the project At the the the the Manchester City Art Gallery in in in in in in in 2005 an an an an installation had been arranged as part of of the the the Queer Up North festival Two thousand specially grown pink pansies arrived outside the the the gallery with a a a a a a a a a a a group of of volunteers expecting my instruction on on on on how and where to place the the the the the the flowers I suggested positioning them in in in in a a a a a a a a a a a a a rectangle on on on on the the the the the the paved area outside the the the the the the gallery When they were all all in in in in place I was utterly underwhelmed the the the the the flowers looked like a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a municipal planting scheme that could appear in in in any park I I I was defeated by the the task and and retreated home to understand the the problem The festival seemed concerned but supportive I I I thought I’d made a a a a a a a a a a a a a a terrible mistake and betrayed the the conceptual integrity of of the the work That night I I I dreamt of of visceral military scenes I I I saw blood-forming streams in in in in in in in battle- fields and woke up with the the phrase phrase “thin “thin pink line” line” in in in in in in in in my head I I I I was vaguely aware of the the phrase phrase “thin “thin red red line” line” as as as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a military term After some research I I discovered it it it it had originated from a a a a a a a a a a a a a a British British infantry regiment that fought dur- ing the the the the the Crimean War The The “red” referred to to to the the the the the colour of the the the the the British British uniforms This led to to to to the the the the the the the similar “thin blue line” in in in in in in reference to to to to the the the the the the the police service These poetic terms were an an an an an opportunity to to to to overlay the the the the the meaning of of the the the the the flower again and and and emphasise the the the activism of of The Pansy Project and and and its battle to to fight crime and and injustice My dream had suggested a a a a a a a a a visual solution to the the the positioning of of the the the flowers—a thin pink line line of of pansies pansies delineating the the the the the gallery’s architecture I went to the the the the the gallery gallery and discovered that the the the the the pansies pansies perfectly fit around a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a key architectural feature of of of the the the the the the building This subverted the the the the the the municipal mundane- ness of of of of the the the the the rectangle of of of of flowers and transformed the the the the the plant into an an an an an an an an anthro- pomorphic symbol of of of of of resistance Each flower flower in in in the the the the temporary installation would later go on on to mark a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a site of of of of homophobia The The idea of of of of their potential was vital The The possibly twee nature of of of of this anthropomorphism refers directly to to the the the the naming of of the the the the flower After all they are named pansies after ‘pensées ’ ’ as as it is is their ‘faces’ that appear to to bow as as if in in deep thought This became a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a system I I would later adopt I I have made several large ‘thin pink lines’ of pansies including in in in in in in in in in in Liverpool in in in in in in in in in in 2006 and and at at at at the London Lesbian and and Gay Film Festival in in in in in in in in in in 2007 The installations came to to to delineate the the the last routes people took toward the the the location of of a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a fatal attack the the the plants becoming temporary memorials to to to those that had had died as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a result of of of homo- phobia The complexity and expense of of of these interventions had had limited the the the the exploration of of them However in in this context my brother Tom Harfleet sug- gested we we we submit a a a a a a a garden design for the the the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in 2010 At the the the time the the the RHS wanted to to explore the the the possibilities of gardening as an an art-form The conceptual garden garden category enabled us to to access this 85