FANTASY IN FULL FLIGHT

Andreas Bamesberger: Florist

Stepping into “Zweigstelle”, Andreas Bamesberger’s shop in Vienna’s ninth district, is stepping into Wonder-land. Inspired by the fantasty world of the 2005 film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, Andreas Bames-berger has created his own to celebrate Christmas, cross-fertilising traditional Christmas elements with in-spiration from the film’s fantastic creations. Architectural structures of Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ bound together with red plastic cable binders (a Bamesberger hallmark) support heavy, leaves of Kalanchoe beharensis. Chunky charcoal roots frame lime-green balls of osagedorn Maclura pomifera (an Ernst Wilson, China bring back); painted elder twigs suspended from the ceiling and bubbling everywhere, everywhere glass decorations.

“Noble kitsch”, the 31 year old Viennese describes this work. Fantasy in full flight. Bamesberger dares to fling his medium to the limit. But not without sincere respect for plants, his “living creatures”. With double training as gardener and florist, he knows just how far he can go: He would not dream of forcing plants into shapes that were not inherently their own. His love of flowers came early. As a 14 year old, he was cultivating cacti and cutting flowers, constantly finding new ways of arranging them.

Trends? Bamesberger follows none. His energetic style is consequent and fed by intensive involvement with a theme. The rough stemmed elder branch and cork trunks may not be seen universally as “beautiful”, but they have “charm”. Subjected to Bamesberger’s floral touch they look simply spectacular. “Twigs are favourites” and old grass stems presented en masse in designer vases. Cor-nus is the classic, but not only C. alba & co, Bames-berger already has his hands on the garden architects’ new favourite: Cornus sanguinea `Midwinter fire´ a visual furnace of hot orange and red.

Wild, fantastic or fantastically wild, Bamesberger has already made his mark. “Zweigstelle” (German meaning branch, a term mostly commonly used by banks) is the floral decorator for events and important Austrian firms. His work is so distinctive and different it has already branded. Pass by the A1 mobile phone shop in Vienna’s Mariahilferstrasse with its forest of Cornus stolonifera flaviramea peaked with glass balls will prompt the utter-ing: “Oh! that’s a Bamesberger!”

External Links:

www.zweigstelle.com - Andreas Bamesberger

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