Europa Cup 2011 – Second Assignment: Table Decoration

After the lunch period on Friday September 2 – still the first day of the Europa Cup 2011 – the contestants immediately had to get ready for the second assignment: a table decoration, to be designed in the style of 2011 host city Havirov. To be able to adequately mirror the city’s feel in their works, the competitors had been given a CD as well as various printed materials for reference up front.

The designs had to meet certain requirements, moreover. The table was to be for two persons, and a minimum of 20 Gerbera stems (the symbol of the city of Havirov) had to be included in the work. Additionally, the design had to incorporate a unique, innovative element or technique, which was also to be explained in short to the jury on a single sheet of A4 paper. There were no restrictions on the shape of the arrangement, except that it could not exceed its designated floor space of 1.5 square meters and a height of 2.7 meters.

Finishing in first place, once the smoke had cleared, was well-known Armenian contender Araik Galstyan with 88.6 points. His captivating egg-shaped design, consisting of two chair-shaped halves with a tiny but splendidly decked out flora table in between them, rightfully caught the eye of the jury. They applauded Araik for the strength of his idea and composition, and gave him high marks for the subtle color use on top. The floral artist explains his unusual choice as follows: “The egg is a symbol of emerging life, so when you look at my work you will understand that you are seeing a young, growing city, going forward every single day. As for the Gerberas, they add youthful softness and tenderness to the work.”

Second place in the “The Youngest City” round was reserved for Polish contestant Zygmunt Sieradzan (87.6 points), who came up with a clever design utilizing three organically arched rows of glass bottles as containers for his colorful flowers. Idea, composition, as well as the technique he employed received very high marks from the members of the jury. “My style is light and clean. I love working and experimenting with plants. For me, construction is only an element that emphasizes the idea I want to express with flowers and plants”, Zygmunt explains his approach to floral art:

The bronze medal in this second round of the Europa Cup went to Swiss contestant Marc Müller, who racked up exactly 86 points. He scored particularly high on the dimensions of Idea and Composition, with his modernistic brown table design decked with a lush and romantic arrangement of pink and yellow flowers for contrast. “I like a certain generosity in floristry products”, as he fittingly puts it himself. His choice for the stark contrast between the polished, straight-lined table and its ravishing, curvy and bright arrangement is a conscious one: “I would like my work of the youngest city Havirov to show the straight lines of the new architecture of the city. I was impressed by the mix of buildings and the surrounding countryside, and in my work I would like to create a bridge between these elements; a certain coolness, combined with beautiful nature reserves and parks in and around the city.”

For all of the photos of the works for “The Youngest City”, we point you to our elaborate photogallery: click here.

To return to the general Europa Cup 2011 page for the coverage of the championship's other five rounds, please click here.