One of the best views of Bled Castle is from the path that runs along the lake past Slavko Oblak’s Cyclamen. Compared to the Budding Fountain in front of the town hall, this sculpture is much greater in size and more figurative, its softly folded petals emanating a sense of life and movement.
The sculpture depicts the Alpine or purple cyclemen, a plant with sweetly scented, pink to purple flowers, which grows mainly in forests and clearings across Slovenia. It is easiest to spot in late summer or autumn, when it blooms. Leaves are heart- or kidney-shaped and have a colour pattern that differs from plant to plant, with a red-purple underside. The locals used to give the cyclamen more poetic names to illustrate the plant’s mix of beauty and danger, as the cyclamen is poisonous. Its magical attributes are luck, protection, fertility and lust. Women used cyclamen when they wanted to get pregnant or to spark passion, while the scent of cyclamen flowers was supposed to soothe an ailing heart. Women also picked cyclamen – a Christian symbol of Mother Mary’s sorrow – to decorate their homes, church altars, graves, chapels, crucifixes, and else.
The use of the cyclamen may have changed through time, but its scent has kept its irresistible charm. It is interesting that according to some UK literature, the most sweetly scented cyclamen can be found in the Lake Bled area.
Oblak recreated the cyclamen in all its richness and diversity – gentle and fragile, but also as an ominous threat when seen under dramatic lights. Its tiny stalk bearing large petals seems to rise directly from the fertile soil with a strong tendency for movement and growth. These depictions reminiscent of enormous blossoms from earlier geological periods blend in with the surrounding castle and vegetation, in which the luscious leaves function like nature-based sensors, ears tapping into the surrounding sounds. The smooth and rough texture of gently folding leaves creates a game of light and shadow, giving an impression that it is guided by a mysterious life force, vitalism. This vital force is an actual metaphor to describe a creative act like a magical moment when internal matter suddenly becomes impregnated with life, movement and living form.
Each sculpture is part of a greater story. Begin your journey by discovering it in the introductory video.