Có hoa tay

Vietnamese expression referring to the specific spiral pattern found in certain fingerprints. It literally means ‘to have fingertips with a flowery pattern’ and refers to being skilled with one's hands.

This expression sums up the project developed during the two-month residency at Villa Saigon, involving the city's residents, their favourite flowers, ceramic work, and the process of chromatography on paper.

By combining ceramics and soundscapes, Karine Bonneval has created a sensitive portrait of plants in an urban environment. This installation was inspired by flowers from the recorded memories of residents, or those collected in the city of Ho Chi Minh.

Through the ‘Villa Saigon’ residency programme, the French Institute in Vietnam aims to strengthen the links between contemporary French creation and the Vietnamese cultural context. Each year, the programme welcomes French artists to develop a creative project in collaboration with local cultural partners.

Villa Saïgon

During her stay, Karine Bonneval met with several scientists from different laboratories in the region and discussed their ongoing research on phytoremediation, pollution control and climate change:

- Minh Tran Thi Le, Khang Huynh Vinh and their students in the cultivation of medicinal plants and cyanobacteria from the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Nong Lam University.

- My Hanh Diep, soil scientist and bamboo specialist, Phu An Bamboo Village/Green Wall

- Frédéric Cazenave, research engineer in hydrometeorology and deputy director of CARE, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology.

She also participated in an event organised by the French-speaking association Café Club in Can Tho on the theme of a drop of water's journey through the city. A project involving immersion, sensory mapping and graphic representation.