PALIN MITENK BLOG

By Beth Hale

Eye-catching: Performance artist Paisley donned gold body paint before dancing around the Foreign and Colonial Investments Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show


The gardens of Chelsea Flower Show are in full bloom.

And it's not just the flora that's blossoming.

Down amid the Salvias and the Agapanthus today there was an attraction not normally associated with the traditional world of horticultural competition - a naked woman, or more to the point a dancing, naked woman.

The woman was, in fact, a 'performance artist' named Paisley.


Dancing in the sunshine as classical music played, the model did spare the blushes of the faint-hearted by wearing one singularly small item of flesh coloured lingerie and some bronze body paint.

Nudity has been a feature at the annual show before - and not just in the varying shades of rose petal.


Cheeky! Paisley intended to depict the character Cunegonde from the 18th century satirical novel by French author Voltaire


The Queen didn't appear to be too shocked by the display, smiling while talking to an exhibitor at the show


Her Majesty pays close attention to the plants as she walks through one of the gardens on display

Every year it seems a model is asked to don body paint and adorn a garden to launch the week-long event.

And this year is no exception.


Pleased: Garden designer Thomas Hoblyn said Paisley's performance was 'tasteful'


Paisley - real name Gill Black - performed her scantily clad dance twice in the Foreign and Colonial Investments' Garden, drawing the attention of workmen completing preparations for today's medal-day.

Afterwards she said: 'Out of my entire career, I've never enjoyed performing more in my life.'

Garden designer Thomas Hoblyn was quick to point out that Paisley was relevant to his Mediterranean-style garden.

She modelled for copper sculptures adorning the garden, intended to depict the character Cunegonde from the 18th century satirical novel by French author Voltaire.

Her performance was to show the sculptures appearing to come to life.

Mr Hoblyn said he had always wanted the artist - whose career has included burlesque and a striptease on a 6ft unicycle - to appear in his garden.

But he wasn't too sure what his sponsors, who include Homebase, would think.

'We had to keep quite a tight reign on things to make sure it was tasteful for Chelsea,' he said. 'But I think it worked well.'


The garden, which was created entirely using plants from Homebase, will be sold after the show, and all proceeds donated to the British Heart Foundation.


Elsewhere at the show the scantily-clad theme continued.

Over at the Trailfinders Australian Garden two models slipped into bikinis and into the show's first ever spa-pool and slid on to stools at Chelsea's first swim-up bar.

Given that just a few stands down a thermometer recorded the day's maximum temperature at 34.5C, the Aussie-themed garden - with the emphasis on functionality rather than decoration - seemed the best place to be.

Wes Fleming, project director for the garden, which has become an annual feature at the show, said he enjoyed pushing the traditional boundaries.

'I think the Royal Horticultural Society hate us because this is who we are, but they also love us because this is who we are,' he said. 'We bring a little splash of colour.'


source: dailymail