To move is to bloom
permanent public sculpture - Manor house gardens - London, UK
Details
all photos by Kevin Percival
The sculpture draws inspiration from the ‘blossoming of the Tisza River’ (in Serbian: cvetanje Tise), a natural phenomenon along the Tisa River in northern Serbia, near Novi Bečej – the region connected to the artist’s family roots. Each year, millions of mayflies rise from the water, living for only a few fleeting hours yet turning the river into a shimmering cloud of wings. In Vladimir’s sculpture, this spectacle becomes a metaphor for migration and becoming. These species emerge from the lake leaving the trail of their origins, yet through movement they rise, adapt, and blossom – mirroring the struggle and beauty of renewal through change. This artwork celebrates resilience, beauty, and diversity, reflecting the vibrant spirit of Lewisham’s communities and their shared stories of renewal and belonging.
Installation view
Making of the sculpture and installation
Sound of the creatures
The soundscape of To Move, is to Bloom was composed from recordings of the sculpture itself. The artist played the metal forms by hand – tapping, striking, and shaking them to reveal their natural resonance – then transformed the sounds by expanding and compressing their natural pulse, layering and amplifying them into a fluid composition.
Divided into five parts — The Depth, The Birth, The Flight, The Bloom, and The Leap — the piece traces the imagined journey of the species from darkness to light. The tones shift from deep echoes to bright, bell-like chimes, capturing the essence of transformation: every sound a step in the act of becoming.