Teas and medicines, tapestries and ornamentation, art, food, and life, are the realms that chamomile has come to inhabit. A recent New York Times article asks, "Why Is Chamomile Suddenly Everywhere?"
"In ancient Egypt, chamomile was considered a gift from the divine. Offerings of the flower were made to the powerful sun god Ra as a form of worship; King Tut's sandals were decorated with the bloom's likeness; and the plant's oil was used to anoint the dead, including the body of Ramses II. The ancient Greeks and Romans, too, were enamored with chamomile, named — for its fruity aroma — from the Greek chamai, meaning "on the ground," and melon ("apple")."
The report discusses the many uses for chamomile – culinary, libations, and fashion, its appearance on TikTok, and how the "Nepalese chamomile farmers …are apoplectic about social media creators trampling their crops in an effort to find dreamy, bucolic backgrounds for their videos."
What fascinated me was the images and video accompanying the report. The Chandelier of Chamomile was the creation of Brooklyn-based artist Joshua Werber and videographer and artist Kyoko Hamada, with the help of Leilin Lopez-Toledo and Rachel Mannello for set design, Sarah Gardner with digital technology, and floral assistants Chad Longmore and Brooke Reynolds.
