Viriditas — Immersive Fabric Art Installation in a 12th-Century Church
Detail of white egrets beside a river among lush flowers and ferns, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Arched botanical fabric installation in the nave of a white church in Winningen, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Botanical archway with a mirrored orb, egrets and sculptural plants on a teal floor, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Tall printed botanical arch between the windows of a twelfth-century church, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Close-up of an egret among flowers and ferns at the water's edge, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Front view of the botanical arch with plant forms gathered at its base, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Detail of an egret, a turtle and yellow flowers beside a stream, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Botanical arch rising to a blue sky inside a medieval church, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Egrets and a kingfisher at the edge of the installation beside an information panel, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
The installation lit in the church nave, with golden plant forms on the floor, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Side view of the tall botanical arch in the church, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Wide view of the installation and its golden foreground plants in the nave, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Flowering archway framing a pale lake, a detail of the artwork, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Egret and wild flowers at a lakeshore, a detail of the artwork, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Flowers and birds above calm water, a detail of the artwork, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
The botanical arch with gilded plant forms at its foot, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Butterflies and flowers over a lake at sunset, a detail of the artwork, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Butterflies among dark foliage against a golden sky, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Sunset over water framed by trees and flowers, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Glowing sunset seen through a dense botanical arch, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Front view of the arch with golden plant forms in the darkened church, Viriditas by Clare Celeste Börsch
Viriditas
Kunsttage Winningen, Germany, 2026
Commissioned by Kunsttage Winningen
Viriditas is a 12-meter double-sided printed fabric installation suspended within a twelfth-century church in Winningen, Germany, commissioned for Kunsttage Winningen 2026.
The title draws from Hildegard von Bingen's concept of viriditas — the greening life-force she understood to run through all living things. Color-saturated botanical imagery, sourced from vintage naturalist archives, floods the nave: an act of both celebration and elegy for the living world.
Artist Statement for Viriditas
Photos by Christiane Meyer