In equal measures, it is both exciting and intriguing to stumble upon a new creative collective who bring something a little different to the table. The Lazy Susans are a new curatorial collective consisting of three friends, creatives and side-hustle connoisseurs. They opened their inaugural exhibition ‘Our Dahlia Allowance’ this week, an installation at The Flower Project in Cambridge – which serves as an introduction to the trio’s shared practice!

Holly Pines, Kaia Goodenough and Mala Yamey’s aim is to share culture in a “rotating style”. We would encourage you to take a look through the courses of their website “menu” here for a taste of what’s to come. For starters, you can expect “all dietary requirements met” through the promotion of inclusivity, the championing of living artists and the activation of those underappreciated; and if you stick around for the cheese course, you will learn that they’re hungry to serve up work they love with people that they can share a pint with.

‘Our Dahlia Allowance’ is The Lazy Susans’ first ever curatorial project featuring the work of artists Enya Lachman-Curl and Ramona Zoladek. There is still time to pop down to The Flower Project on Mill Road (Cambridge, CB1 3LP) tomorrow Saturday 21st August 2021 to see the final day, open from 9-5PM.

The Lazy Susans say: “The dahlia has been associated with the slaughter of women in popular culture since the infamous ‘Black Dahlia’ case of the 1940s, glamorised in Hollywood. Loaded with this treacherous symbolism, it mirrors capitalism’s violence against nature and the earth; we want to reclaim the dahlia and it’s August seasonality, using it as a tool of re-connection. We must bring the natural world into our communities, respect the seasons, share, appreciate and allow nature to take over our industries leading us forward. Remove the baggage, remove the stereotypes and facilitate ‘Our Dahlia Allowance’ of nature. Be open to those around you. Entangle them within your re-wilding. Surpass the allowance.”

In relation to the venue, they add: “Working with The Flower Project, we share the same values of sustainability and eco-friendly practice. Exhibiting our artists in a multi-sensorial living shop, surrounded by flowers and plants, we are denying the deadened white wall aesthetic of the traditional gallery space to reveal an uncanny experience of art where you may least expect it.”

Enya Lachman-Curl transforms traditional painting practice, creating pieces that straddle static and fluid states. Working and living in Bristol, she is the current commissioned way-finding artist for The Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals. Enya describes herself as “a gardener or an obsessed lover”. Crafting an intimacy with her medium, she captures the transience and ephemerality of nature.

Enya is exhibiting three new lace work paintings, painted in tones reminiscent of the dahlia. Also on show is a limited edition print, available for sale, with a portion of the proceeds going to local charity, Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre, who work towards combating violence against women.

Cambridge local, Ramona Zoladek is currently pursuing an MA in Sculpture at the Royal College of Art in London. Ramona combines organic and construction materials to create, in her words, “fragile and unexpected outcomes.” Working through processes of growth, decay, shrinking and expanding, her pieces create a tension between the strength traditionally associated with industrial materials and the fragility of nature. Building on sustainability in her practice, Ramona has created new site specific sculptures using her signature plaster, chickpea seeds and the occasional dahlia.

It is great to see this collaboration with local indie The Flower Project who opened their shop in October 2020. They are an eco-friendly, independent florist selling bouquets and plants. They add really personal touches to their local deliveries, handwriting gift cards and cycling their creations around Cambridge to recipients and customers.

We very much look forward to seeing what’s up next from The Lazy Susans – to find out more about the collective’s work and upcoming events you can visit their website and follow along over on Instagram too!

---

Keep up-to-date with what is happening across Cambridgeshire’s creative scene by subscribing to receive our latest news posts via email – and follow our #CambsCreativeScene tag on Instagram.

If you enjoy content from The Trove Cambridge then please consider supporting what we do by buying us a “coffee” at: ko-fi.com/thetrovecambridge