EXHIBITION - Base Milano
Do you speak flower? explores the secret language of flowers through ten photographs and ten luminous vases.
Conceived by students in the Master's programme in Space and Communication at HEAD – Genève and the University of Ljubljana, this exhibition revisits floriography, a discreet language that has become a tool for conveying political, feminist and queer messages.

Since the Victorian era, flowers have never ceased to communicate cryptic messages. Subtle yet powerful, this language has accompanied committed figures and movements of hope, from the Flower Power of the 1960s, symbol of the peaceful protests in San Francisco, to the bouquets discreetly placed by Ray & Charles Eames in their designs to soften the tensions of the Cold War, to the secret herbarium compiled by Rosa Luxemburg in hiding while leading the Spartacist League. These references run through the project, reminding us that flowers are never merely decorative: they are also vehicles of resistance and complicity.

The project also echoes a striking moment in history: during the Vietnam War, American Admiral Jeremiah Denton managed to signal the word "T-O-R-T-U-R-E – T-O-R-T-U-R-E" in morse code by blinking during a televised interview, despite being forced to speak under duress. This coded, barely perceptible yet decisive language was broadcast on ABC and aired a few days later in the United States, on May 17, 1966, confirming the torture endured by prisoners of war.

Created especially for the 60th edition of the Ljubljana Design Biennale (November 2024 – April 2025), Do you speak flower? unveils a new iteration for the Salone del Mobile 2025. Transformed into vases and adorned with fresh flowers, the luminous boxes discreetly scatter their messages, hidden in plain sight, while gracefully serving a decorative purpose.

BOOK LAUNCH - House of Switzerland
Do you speak flower? is the title book of the 60th Ljubljana Design Biennial, exploring floral steganography and how flowers have been used to code messages throughout history.
Going against the cliché of the flower-woman, this book brings together international designers, graphic artists and artists to reveal little-known uses of floriography.

A book by Alexandra Midal, art and design historian and professor in the Master's programme in Space and Communication at HEAD–Genève, with contributions from Emma Pflieger, Antoine Fœglé and Tristan Bartolini, HEAD – Genève alumni-ae and Rafaela Drazic, graphic designer. Published by the Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO), Ljubljana, and Les Presses du Réel, Dijon. Published for the 28th Ljubljana Design Biennial (BIO28) - Double Agent: Do you speak flower?