Twenty Petal Flower brings an oversized, handwoven version of the Mexican marigold to Manhattan's Flatiron North Plaza for Día de Muertos. The community altar is listed on view through November 3, with a free public festival on Wednesday, October 28, from 3 to 7 p.m. Eastern.
The installation connects a familiar flower with the work behind a remembrance tradition: growing it, gathering it and building temporary places to honor the dead. For visitors, the choice is between seeing the altar during its nine-day run and joining the afternoon of music, dance and activities.
From fields to woven flowers
Mestiz Studio, founded by designer Daniel Valero in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, collaborated with Brooklyn's Powerhouse Arts on the installation. Hyperallergic's October 26 report describes artisans weaving the tiered arrangement into enlarged marigolds.
In an interview published by the Flatiron NoMad Partnership, Valero explains that the team uses wicker and handweaving at a much larger scale than an ordinary craft object. Repetition lets a light material become a large structure.
His starting point was the flower's entire journey. Farmers cultivate cempasúchil in Michoacán; other hands gather the blooms and turn them into garlands, arches and offerings. The project honors those workers as well as the people remembered at an altar.
Valero also draws attention to the temporary nature of the structures. Elaborate floral monuments appear for the celebration and then disappear. His woven interpretation carries that idea into a public plaza, where someone can encounter the work while walking through the city.
Why the marigold belongs at an ofrenda
Cempasúchil is the Mexican marigold. The installation's title comes from the Nahuatl name translated as “twenty petal flower,” according to the organizer's description.
The flower has a role beyond its color. Our Lady of the Lake University's cultural guide describes marigolds used in floral arches, wreaths, crosses and garlands, as well as on graves and home altars. Their strong fragrance and bright color are traditionally believed to attract returning souls to the offerings prepared for them. Some families scatter petals along a path toward the altar.
An ofrenda gives that welcome a personal form. Photographs, candles, flowers and favorite foods can honor a particular person. The South Carolina State Museum's explanation, accompanying its own community display, describes the celebration as a time for families to share memories and celebrate lives.
In the Partnership interview, Valero says he hopes people encountering the tradition for the first time will understand its connection to memory. He wants the public installation to offer a place for anyone who would like to remember someone.
The festival and the installation have different dates
The official October 28 event listing schedules four hours of free public programming at Flatiron North Plaza. The plaza is at Broadway and 23rd Street.
Calpulli Mexican Dance Company will present Mexican folklore performances, and New York collective Son Pecadores will perform live music. The activity program includes flower making with Mano a Mano, booklet making with Center for Book Arts, and printmaking and paper marigolds with Poster House. Face painting and skull decorations are also listed.
Those activities belong to the October 28 festival. Someone visiting on another date should plan around the altar itself, without assuming the performers or workshops will be there.
The Partnership lists Twenty Petal Flower from October 26 through November 3. Time Out's advance reporting confirms that visitors can see it outside the festival and contribute mementos and remembrances of people they have lost.
Nearby, a separate papel picado installation by Tanya Aguiñiga Studio is on the Flatiron South Plaza. The cut-paper display began October 5 and runs through November 3, according to the Partnership.
