Route of Flowers
Rute Bunga-Bunga
2020-grow
Route of Flowers is a project about the connections among the flowers in the neighbourhood of Amsterdam Oost, encompassing an archive of the flowers and engagement with neighbours through photographs and parable.
Where do these flowers come from? Who planted these flowers? What builds this land?
Parable of the Flowers
2020-2022
A series of photographs of the flowers on the neighbourhood facade garden (geveltuin) of Amsterdam Oost (East) taken by Saraswati in Spring 2020 during the pandemic.
The photographs were given to the neighbours with handwritten notes on the back by the artist in spring 2021.
Parable of the Pilgrims
2020
A series of photographs taken at De Schreeuw, Oosterpark by Saraswati. The photographs capture the flowers dedicated to Samuel Paty, left there on 23 October 2020.
Mixed among the flowers are messages left by protesters commemorating Theo van Gogh on 2 November.
Parable of the Unstolen Fig/ Freedom of Figs
2021
A series of photographs of a neighbour's fig tree. A tree with abundant figs that never ripen.
ROUTE OF FLOWERS: A COLLECTION OF PARABLES
2022
Route of Flowers is a book of a collection of parables that are inspired by the neighbourhood of Amsterdam Oost on the perspective of the author to navigate her way to find a sense of belonging. The awareness of histories of the neighbourhood, personal relationships, and transformative nature are continuously reflected in the parables.
The parables collections consist of 10 stories accompanied by three photographs by the author to illustrate the stories. The cover design refers to Indonesian literature in the 1945-1950, the period of the Indonesian arts established their position as a legitimate heritage of the world. These parable books are intended to be placed anonymously in the neighbourhood community as free books for anyone, in street/public bookshelves and community centers–with a Dutch translation addition.
"As the old saying goes, the light is always brighter on the other side. The Northern people like Southern flowers very much.
They bought such flowers and shipped them here.
Imagine the ark carries plants, bearing flowers and fruits, instead of animals.
Now imagine the ark carries people instead. "
- Excerpt from Parable of the Unstolen Figs by Ratu R. Saraswati
Colophon
Texts and photographs Ratu R. Saraswati
Editorial support — Hannah Dawn Henderson, Ivan Mous
Cover design and layout — Nandiasa Rahmawati
Printed by PrintRoom, Rotterdam
Supported by the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam and Stichting Hinderrust Fonds
Riso-printed in an edition of 200
2022
Dutch translation — Roy Voragen
The Spring song consists of selected lyrics from the Betawi folksong ‘Surilang’.
The song was popularized by Lilis Suryani, Ida Royani and Benyamin Sueb.
ROUTE OF FLOWERS
2020-2022
Installation and performance
The artist reads parable stories from “Route of Flowers”, a book that she wrote. Audience gathered around “Parable of the Pilgrims” installation. The installation display a series of photographs taken at De Schreeuw monument, Oosterpark, a city park in Amsterdam East. The photographs capture the flowers dedicated to Samuel Paty, left there on 23 October 2020. Mixed among the flowers are messages left by protesters commemorating Theo van Gogh on 2 November.
Parable of the Pilgrims
In the first year, a woman encounters twenty pilgrims gathered at a monument, covered with flowers in autumn. Three of these pilgrims step forward to lay down their flowers.
These pilgrims speak no parables. Instead, they tear parable pages and spit on them.
She is paralyzed by shock for fifteen seconds. She flees in fear.
The second year, she returns and sees ten pilgrims.
In the ninth year, she sees one pilgrim.
In the tenth year, it is only her.
If this parable is written on a page, the woman asks you not to tear it.
If you live surrounded by flowers, do not forget where these flowers come from.
If you live surrounded by flowers, do not forget how you got them.
Ink made of rose and bird of paradise petals on the wall
2022
Documentation
Photo by Sander van Wettum
Video and editing by Özgür Atlagan
Rijksakademie Open Studios 2022
How lucky, you can vote (Iris)!
Saraswati Putting up posters of an iris growing in the neighbourhood on free billboard pillars in the Amsterdam Oost with friends on 15-16 March 2022 (election days in the Netherlands).
Documentation by Takanori Suzuki, Hannah Dawn Henderson, and Joost Blokker
Growing Irises in the Neighbourhood
2022 - grow
A neighbour gave Saraswati three iris bulbs. She gave two to neighbours who had ancestral ties to Indonesia, and she planted one in front of a monument
(read "Parable of the Pilgrims"; page 15).
Documentation: Saraswati, Rajyashri Goody, Ivan Mous
Surilang
Riso print of neighbour's iris
Printed in yellow, purple, black, and yellow inks
Artist's pencil handwritten of selected lyric of a Betawi folksong, Surilang
Printed by Pieter Verweij, printmaster
The book "Route of Flowers"
Printed in yellow, fluro pink, aqua, and black
Printed by PrintRoom, Rotterdam
Storysharing
"Parable of the Unstolen Figs" and "Parable of the Freedom of Figs"
Self potrait with a fig
Photo with a fig gifted after attending funeral prayer in a mosque in Amsterdam Oost
Photo ID taken at a photo box in Rotterdam Centraal train station
Group exhibition: there, there
Greylight Projects, Heerlen, Limburg
Curated by Roy Voragen
Photo credits:
Greylight Projects