Künstlerbund Speyer

In 2024, Flora Bucket was invited as the artist in residence at the prestigious Künstlerhaus in Speyer, Germany — a residency programme with over 30 years of legacy in supporting international contemporary art. Rooted in the specifics of place, this residency marked a significant expansion of Flora’s practice, offering time and space to respond to the rich ecology and cultural fabric of the region.

Throughout her stay, Flora immersed herself in the local environment, walking, observing, and gathering materials with care. Embracing the ethos of borrowing, not taking, she worked exclusively with foraged and found elements — twigs, earth pigments, natural fibres — using these as tools of both creation and conversation. This gentle, respectful approach challenged the extractive habits of the global textile industry and served as an ecological counterpoint to the destructive systems she critiques.

The resulting work culminated in a solo exhibition at the end of the residency, where installations, sculptures, and drawings engaged with the idea of impermanence, interdependence, and place-based storytelling. The show also served as a platform for community dialogue, where Flora invited others to consider their own material relationships and the power of collective action.

More than just a period of making, this residency became a collaborative inquiry — into land, labour, and responsibility — and reaffirmed the role of the artist not only as a maker, but as a listener, borrower, and connector.