fbpx
Close

Les Fleurs de la Maladie: Art installation from recycled COVID-19 Tests

The installation provokes a personal and emotional engagement with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic

Subset introduced its Les Fleurs de la Maladie art installation, winner of the Jury Prize at the 17th Festival des Architectures Vives in Montpellier, France.

As an interpretation of the festival theme of ‘Sacrality’, Hannah Fuchsenberger, Anne-Fleur Ising, Atidh Jonas Langbein, Gianna Neumann, and Helio Philipp Spiess conceived an installation that provokes a personal and emotional engagement with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic through an aesthetic experience. Like white flowers, 1,482 COVID-19 test cassettes float above a blue platform. Les Fleurs de la Maladie – Flowers of the Disease – asks what value we attribute to our own and public health in general. The installation was constructed mainly from scrap material in a representative courtyard in Montepellier’s historic centre. Twelve Eiermann table tops, which would have been discarded at the Bauhaus University Weimar due to heavy wear and tear, were manually sanded, repainted, and screwed onto a substructure of wooden slats in the courtyard. 1,482 corona tests were applied to the panels on 1mm metal rods in a clear geometric grid. They were donated by a school in Munich that had purchased them for testing pupils, but they expired before their planned use and would have been subsequently disposed.

By redesigning and reusing the materials, the installation ‘Les Fleurs de la Maladie’ thematizes  environmentally conscious and sustainable approaches in the arts, while opening up this kind of space for wide-ranging interpretations and to encourage viewers to reflect on the value of health in our society. The flowers further invited visitors to share their personal memories and experiences of the pandemic.

Read more article like this, click here.

The Latest

Highlights of the Biennale Architettura 2025

We shine a light on the pavilions from the Arab world at the Venice Architecture Biennale, on display until Sunday 23 November 2025

Read ‘Bold Design’ – Note from the editor – July/August 2025

Read identity magazine's July/August 2025 edition on ISSUU or grab your copy at the newsstands.

Things to Covet in June 2025

Elevate your spaces with a pop of colour through these unique pieces

Designing Spaces with Purpose and Passion

We interview Andrea Savage from A Life By Design – Living & Branding on creating aesthetically beautiful and deeply functional spaces

Craft and Finesse

EMKAY delivers a bold and intricate fit-out by transforming a 1,800 sqm space into SUSHISAMBA Abu Dhabi, a vibrant multi-level dining experience

An Impressive Entrance

The Synua Wall System by Oikos offers modularity and style

Drifting into Summer

Perennials unveils the Sun Kissed collection for 2025

The Fold

Architect Rabih Geha’s collaboration with Iwan Maktabi

AYESHA ERKIN

From Floorplans to Foodscapes

For Ayesha Erkin, architecture was never just about buildings, but about how people live, eat, gather and remember

deos mykonos

Between Sea and Sky

Cycladic heritage, heartfelt hospitality and contemporary design converge on Deos Mykonos, designed by GM Architects

A Fresh Take on ’70s Style

Curved shapes and colourful artworks bring vibrancy to this contemporary home with mesmerising nature views