Plum Blossom Bowl

Fused Glass Rollup, Transplant 2025

23x23x9cm

Heather Kremen explores the link between plants and people - the stories of belonging, migration, and memory that bloom in every garden.
New Zealand’s native flora is striking and unique, often appearing unfamiliar to those newly arrived on its shores. For generations, immigrants have brought plants with them longing for the comfort of what once was home. These plants, some grown for food or income, others simply for beauty, speak to the deep human need to root ourselves in new soil while holding onto our past.

Plums seem to be a common fruit here. They, along with other stone fruit trees were brought by European settlers and planted early in our colonial history. Growing up in Dunedin there was an orchard attached to where we lived and I would climb the treat to pick the fruit every summer. Now, my neighbor has a tree that overhangs my fence. Every year it is one of the first trees to flower letting me know spring is about to arrive.