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What happens when Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Story of a Mother” is reimagined in a new setting?
That question served as the starting point for the installation DRIVHUSET x Livets Blomster, where music, light, and imaginative flowers create a space for both reflection and wonder.
The idea stems from this year’s theme for the Odense Flower Festival—“Nature, Tranquility, and Imagination”—and from the musical narrative I Am a Mother, which was created in 2024 and is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Story of a Mother. Rather than creating something entirely new, Frøken Følleslev, the artist behind the installation, wanted to breathe new life into the music within a different setting—namely, the greenhouse that plays a central role in the fairy tale.
The greenhouse at Gråbrødre Plads invites guests to step into an installation where paper flowers grow wondrously among one another to the music of the musical narrative. It creates a contemplative soundscape with crystal-clear vocals, atmospheric cello, and beating hearts—each flower represents a human life.
Frøken Følleslev hopes that guests will experience reflection and wonder when they step into the greenhouse: “The fairy tale provides food for thought regarding both motherhood and parenthood, as well as life and death. The music and voices set the mood with a narrative that evokes inner images, while the flowers and lights bring out an imaginative and playful side,” says Frøken Følleslev.
But the flowers in the greenhouse aren’t just the artists’ work. Throughout the summer, visitors to the H.C. Andersen House have been able to create their own little flowers from book pages in the studio. Now they continue to grow within the installation and become part of the overall work. In this way, the audience isn’t just guests, but co-creators. And perhaps that’s exactly what makes the experience extra personal: knowing that your own little flower has become part of something bigger.
