What does a rose really say? Why does lily mean purity? And how can a bouquet carry a secret message?

In this colourful, hands-on activity, you will become a Flower Detective and crack the floral code. Follow clues through paintings and literature, investigate the flowers in Manet's Olympia, and discover the nineteenth-century French Le Langage des fleurs by Charlotte de La Tour.

Put your detective skills to the test: match flowers with their hidden meanings, decode messages and create a sélam : a secret message communicated through a carefully chosen bouquet. You will discover how flowers have expressed love, desire, grief, remembrance and power, and why they have been so closely associated with women and emotions.

Finally, choose what a flower should mean today and help create a new language of flowers for the twenty-first century.

This activity is designed for adults and requires no previous knowledge.

Dr Aude Campmas is a Lecturer in French Studies at the University of Southampton. Her research explores the fascinating relationships between flowers, women, art and literature, particularly in nineteenth-century France.

CONTENT NOTICE: This workshop is suitable for ages 18+ and explores themes of the human body, sexuality, reproduction, and love through discussion and artistic representations.