Crowned with Flowers

Today is Beltane and May Day and the night of the full Flower Moon. If there was ever a time to wear a flower crown, it’s now. Fresh or dried, made of paper or textiles, this night was made for floral headwear. Beannachtaí na Bealtaine duit…the blessings of Beltane to you!

I’ve spent the last few weeks making flower crowns from recycled children’s books. There’s a little free library in my neighborhood that has a wonky door and western exposure, which in San Francisco means weather coming off the Pacific Ocean batters this tiny hoard of kid’s books. Over the last few weeks, It’s been pelted by late spring rain, and sadly most of the works inside are water damaged, including books that were discarded by my neighborhood library and some of the nearby schools. Many of these books feature animals as protagonists, which inspired me to create flower crowns built around my collaborations with HOX Zodiac.

When I was a child, I was equally interested in science and art. I was also only too delighted to wear flowers on my head:

As a college student I felt pressured to choose either a creative academic path, or a scientific path; it didn’t seem possible to blend both. This is why HOX Zodiac has captured my attention; it’s a space where those boundaries dissolve, where art, science, and cultural systems meet and inform one another. The HOX Zodiac community allows for curiosity to move freely between disciplines, and for supporting making/creativity as a form of inquiry.

I am thrilled that some of the flower crowns I made for HOX Zodiac are on display this Beltane at the Jersey Art Book Fair. This event runs May 1st through 3rd at MANA Contemporary in Jersey City, NJ. If you’re in the greater NYC area, I hope you’ll visit JABF and stop by the Art Sci Now booth featuring HOX Zodiac art & merchlease join us!. Also, there’s a Year of the Fire Horse activation on Sunday May 3rd. Details here. Please join us!

Carolyn CC Hart

I'm a neurodiversity advocate, an artist, an author, and a licensed massage therapist. My senses are intertwined via synaesthesia, a neurocognitive difference, which informs my writing, my visual art, my costume design, and my long career in manual therapy. I am continuing to learn how my divergent brain creates both opportunities and obstacles, and I support the argument that neurodiverse traits are not necessarily pathologies, but represent part of the spectrum of human somatosensory, intellectual, and cognitive experience. I support Judy Singer's theories of neurodiversity which include the concept that just as conserving biodiversity is necessary for a sustainable, flourishing planet, so respecting neurodiversity is necessary for a sustainable, flourishing human society. I am a founding member of the International Association of Synaesthetes, Artists, and Scientists, where I serve as the IASAS secretary. I've practiced therapeutic massage for more than 30 years, and feel that my sensory sensitivities have helped me thrive in my hands-on career.

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