The House of Floating Flowers (Ukibana no ie) is a site-responsive installation by Mari Hirata, developed through a recent artist residency at the Japanese House, Ingham, and presented as part of PUNQ Festival.

What might a house remember? What might it dream?

The House of Floating Flowers imagines the Japanese House as a living vessel, dreaming through nature, architecture, and memory. Hirata creates new works responding to the spirit of the site, inspired by the house's remarkable journey from Japan to Australia, its floral motifs, intricate timber craftsmanship, surrounding tropical gardens, and layered histories.

At the heart of the project is the metaphor of the floating flower: a symbol for the people, stories and cultures that pass through the house, each leaving traces before drifting onward. Like the house itself, these stories continue to evolve through movement, encounter and exchange; connecting Japan, Brisbane, and Ingham across time and distance.

Balancing history with imagination, The House of Floating Flowers invites visitors to experience the Japanese House through a new lens - where architecture, nature and memory gently intertwine, and where new stories continue to bloom.

Artist Talk - 11am-12pm Saturday 3 October 2026

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Commissioned by Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts and artisan in partnership with The Japanese House Australia.

PUNQ Festival is produced by Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts and presented in partnership with the North Australian Festival of Arts. The festival is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, and receives funding from Creative Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund. Townsville City Council is a funding partner of PUNQ

The House of Floating Flowers / 浮き花の家 (Ukibana no ie) Mari Hirata

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