The Perfect Flower, 2009
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A physical meditation on beauty and solitude. The reproduction of flowers.

Flowers show us that beauty is a useful tool of natural processes. It is necessary for attracting pollinators and sustaining life.

"The flower in the work's title refers to the self-pollinating kind, but the underlying idea is the biological utility of beauty as an attractor. The dancers bump bellies, or they climb and swing like gymnasts on three flowerlike sculptures made of looped steel cylinders, pliant under the application of weight. Despite the undulating and arching, lessons about the birds and the bees remain implicit, so it's fine to take the kids." - The New Yorker

"Scientists use the term ‘perfect flower’ to describe flowers that are equipped with both female and male reproductive structures and have the ability to self-pollinate. I have been examining them as an example of self-sufficiency and as inspiration for this project that we are developing with the California Academy of Sciences."  - Jodi Lomask, Artistic Director

Artistic Director, Jodi Lomask worked in conjunction with architects and researchers from the California Academy of Sciences in her formalized collaborative process called the Capacitor Lab, to develop the concepts behind ‘The Perfect Flower’. She engaged the expertise of blacksmith/artist Mark Nichols, fashion designer Kimie Sako, composer Noah Thorp, musician Kristina Forester, and dancers Cari Bellinghausen, Mayuko Hosoai, Ian Smith, Jocelyn Rudig, Lizelle Gouws, and Jennifer Meek to implement the designs.

TEDtalk: Jonathan Drori