Volunteers spent the morning of Thursday, 13 August placing flowers by hand on a numbered carpet in Brussels' Grand Place to form a design inspired by the woodblock prints of Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, as part of the 24th edition of the biennial Flower Carpet.
Brussels Grand Place flower carpet takes Hokusai design for Belgium-Japan anniversary
Volunteers spent the morning of Thursday, 13 August placing flowers by hand on a numbered carpet in Brussels' Grand Place to form a design inspired by the woodblock prints of Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, as part of the 24th edition of the biennial Flower Carpet.
The design was created by Japanese artist Hiro Sugiyama and his collective Enlightenment, who describe it as 'Neo-Hokusai' — a modern reinterpretation of Hokusai's work. Volunteers followed a small reference image in which each colour was assigned a number to reproduce the pattern accurately.
The carpet measures 70 metres long by 24 metres wide and will remain on display in the Grand Place until Sunday, 16 August. A nightly sound and light show is scheduled from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. each evening.
This edition of the Flower Carpet is described as a once-in-a-decade celebration marking the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Belgium and Japan. Japanese Ambassador to Belgium Takeshi Osuga joined the volunteers and placed flowers on the carpet; Japanese sponsors also supported the event.
Visitors gathered around the square to watch the carpet take shape and photograph completed sections as the work progressed through the morning.
- The source does not state the total number of volunteers involved in laying the carpet.
- The source does not state how many flowers or flower varieties were used in the installation.
- The source does not name the Japanese sponsors who supported the event.
- The source does not state Ambassador Osuga's remarks, if any, during his participation.
- The source does not identify which specific Hokusai work served as the primary inspiration for the design.