Paraluman Flora is a one-woman team led by Kim Francisco, who grew up in Canada before moving back to Manila last year to continue her practice of creating otherworldly floral installations. One of her first projects upon her return is a multisensory exhibit together with Roomi Mushrooms, where she “reimagined the symbiotic dance of flora and funga enduring in the heart of urban landscape,” a fitting introduction to Paraluman’s ethos. While traditional floral arrangements tend to be static, Francisco’s creations have a tangible quality of being “alive.
” “When creating a set, or in this case, an environment, I can’t have things feeling static, and very much embrace imperfection,” she says. “I very much emphasize movement in my work.” It’s no wonder, she’s the go-to floral artist and designer of a few of Manila’s most dynamic brands and artists.
Partnering with movement platform Fifth Wall Fest last year, she brought to life a wearable floral Filipiniana made of dendrobiums, anthuriums, and other tropical blooms that dancer and festival founder Madge Reyes wore while doing a performance piece called “Bulaklakaw.” She also did a “live floral installation” piece earlier this year for Transit Records, where guests were invited to collaborate with her by inserting flowers along forms artfully strewn in one corner of Annex House. And most recently, Francisco teamed up with the people behind record label Pool Records as well as other creatives for .