The wind is my nemesis! says Jennifer Latour, and that tracks when your studio is the open air. In her sculptural assemblages, single flowers or small clusters of blooms sprout from tree branches or thick stems, appearing like otherworldly forms standing in the landscape. A soft breeze can undo the Vancouver-based artists ephemeral constructions before she has the chance to take the photograph that preserves them.
Latours ongoing project, Bound Species, began during lockdown, when she pieced together objects found around her home into unconventional, ikebana-style compositions. During this time, I started having a recurring dream of giant flowers growing around me with multiple species of other flowers growing off one stem. I draw a lot of inspiration from my dreams, and this was something I had to test out in real life, she tells us.
From trial runs to on-location shoots
After a few trials, the process clicked. Latour began envisioning how different colors and shapes might puzzle together into a hybrid character and imagined photographing on location, placing the unorthodox arrangements in natural settings. When travel became possible, she brought the sculptures outdoorsand met her airy adversary head-on. I quickly discovered how much more difficult this was, she says. It takes so much more patience and time to make my sculptures out in the wild but all that much more satisfying when it works out!
Today, she continues to venture outside, assembling each piece by hand and connecting stem to stem. She often sources materials from local garden centers, flower shops, and even the occasional grocery store, should the botanicals be locally grown.
On the road and on view
With trips planned to Arizona and the U.K. seaside in the coming months, Latour is extending these experiments across new landscapes. I dream of taking the work all around the world to the most remote and unique locations, she adds. Its a practice I see myself continuing to create and evolve until either my hands or my body stop working.
Latours images are currently on view in two group exhibitions: Where the Seasons Endure at Gallery COA in Montreal and The House and the Forest at Can Balaguer in Palma, Mallorca. She is also planning for a solo show in 2027.
Whether assembled in stillness or in spite of a stiff breeze, Latours botanical hybrids hold fast long enough to be photographedephemeral gestures made durable by the camera and a steady hand.
