Frangipani Lei

South Australian artist and designer Jess Dare draws deep inspiration from the natural world and uses materials and processes such as lamp-worked glass and powder-coated brass to make permanent objects and experiences that are inherently fragile or ephemeral. In this new acquisition, the treasured blooms of frangipani, known for their fragrance and form, have become wilted and tinged with age. Far from detracting from their beauty, their new state – frozen forever by Dare – possesses a poetic presence as a contemporary vanitas symbol, and specifically a reminder of her husband’s marriage proposal in Bali in 2021. As Dare explains: we had dinner on the beach and were gifted Frangipani leis. I hung the leis in our room. For two weeks they slowly wilted, collapsed and browned as their scent got sweeter. A reminder of a special day, how fleeting moments in life are and how they should be cherished and remembered. This Frangipani lei, in weighty brass, partly wilting, beginning to collapse, the softening petals just starting to brown takes me right back to that moment. A day I’ll forever treasure …