Some of the world's toughest florists and land art artists will be visiting the Danish city of Fredericia this summer. For three days, they will all compete to create the most beautiful work of art on the city's ramparts - exclusively by using the materials (flowers, plants, shrubs, and branches) that are available in nature at this time of year. It is Fredericia Municipality, in collaboration with the local florist and florist, Lene Möller Christiansen, Iris Blomster, and Thomas Kvist Christiansen, Kvist Kommunikation, who invites to the first international land competition, 6 July Cup, in the days from 1 to 4 July.
The international land art competition will be a creative and artistic prelude to the annual historical memorial days, July 5th and 6th, where the city marks the 172nd anniversary of the victorious battle by Fredericia in 1849. From 1 July and three days onwards, 18-20 floral artists work on the south part of the ramparts that lies close to the harbor.
New version of the July 6 Cup
It is not the first time that international florists from all over the world are visiting Fredericia to compete in international floral art. For three years, from 2006 to 2008, Fredericia hosted the international 6 July Cup, where florists competed for three days to make the most beautiful flower arrangements - both in the city center and on the ramparts. The competition was part of a major municipal effort to create more activities around the annual memorial days on July 5th and 6th. Each participating team had to solve three different tasks, the last of which took place on the ramparts.
During the three years when the competition was held in Fredericia from 2006 to 2008, in addition to Danish florists, there were also participants from Norway, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Poland, Canada. Now Fredericia Municipality and Lene Møller Christiansen are sure that Fredericia again can succeed in attracting international florists to compete in international landart with 6 July Cup resumed in a new form. Unlike before, you only have to work with one task - landart at the ramparts.
Great interest in participating
"I do not for a moment doubt that the competition will be a success. Had it not been for the current Covid-19 pandemic, which makes flights difficult, we would already have had many participants ready to travel to the city. Many florists have talked about the competitions since back in 2006-2008 and have just been waiting for it to resume. This year we will probably be able to present 10 teams with participants from Scandinavia," says Lene Møller Christiansen.
"Fredericia Municipality is excited that despite the current pandemic, there is great interest in participating in a new edition of the 6 July Cup," says one of the initiators in Fredericia Municipality, City Councilor Lise Nielson (S).
"For a long time we have been aware that the flower competitions from 2006 to 2008 could do something in terms of profiling the city, and it is a fantastic and colorful way to build up to the annual 5th - 6th July days. Therefore, on behalf of the city, I am incredibly happy that it has succeeded in reviving the competition."
Focus on endangered biodiversity
Flowers and plants have played a significant role since the start of the historic Memorial Days 172 years ago. They were used to decorate the graves of the fallen soldiers, and therefore the historical theme has always followed the competitions. When the competition is now resumed, Fredericia municipality wants to put an extraordinary focus on the endangered biodiversity.
"Many animal and plant species on earth are already extinct, and several species are in danger of extinction. This is because animals and plants have difficulty finding suitable habitats in the places where we humans build, cultivate the land or live. To slow down this development, we must take good care of nature and ensure that there is room for many different species. With this landart competition, Fredericia Municipality wants to focus on biodiversity, and make us think about how we can all contribute to taking good care of nature and securing space for many different species."
For more information:
Interflora
4304@interflora.dk
www.interflora.dk