Fleurs de Villes brings sensory experience to The Leaf

When you think of flowers, you may be picturing them in a vase or in a garden, but here in Winnipeg for the next 10 days, they will be displayed on 15 different locally inspired mannequins for Fleurs de Villes. 

The world-renowned floral experience has made its way to The Leaf once again to showcase Manitoba’s vibrant arts scene and more than 25,000 people are expected to take in the exhibition. 

The 15 mannequins on display at The Leaf each have a unique local tie-in, as they were inspired by different organizations in the city’s arts and culture scene; including the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra’s annual International Women’s Day concert.

“Fleurs de Villes Artiste at the Leaf is truly a made-in-Manitoba experience,” said Laura Cabak, the director of communications with the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. “Each mannequin is unique and there’s such a local flavor to it.”

The pieces immerse members of the public in colour and detail with endless hours of work and planning going into each. 

“We knew that Winnipeg had not only great floral talent, but wonderful artistic elements as well,” said Fleurs de Villes’s co-founder Karen Marshall.

“There’s a lot of mechanics that have to be thought out, each of the installations has to last 11 days, and as you know fresh flowers don’t last 11 days.”

Showcasing her own piece, Emily Ilchena, the owner and floral designer at Juniper Jayne Creative said when it comes to her work she had a vision right from the start. 

“The suit alone took me about two days to complete, just gluing and cutting all of those individual pieces,” she said.

“We wanted to have her holding a trumpet, which is historically not a common instrument for a woman to play, and we wanted her to be surrounded by blooms. Very colourful,  just to represent the magic and impact women can have within the industry.”

Other displays featured the Manitoba Children’s Museum’s Illusion Tunnel, the Royal Canadian Mint’s coins, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster and many more, the event offering more than a visual experience. 

“It smells amazing, the colours are fantastic; it’s just this wonderful vibrant, active, busy environment and at the end of it you have these truly unique works of art that have come to life,” said Cabak. 

Fleurs de Villes Artiste runs until Jan. 26.