Swollen Stigma
Swollen Stigma is a visual, surrealistic narrative about a woman travelling both literally and psychically through several rooms. Memories, or fantasies, of another woman, fill her imagination. The film proposes lesbian imagery, and its shifting points of view jump between the protagonist, fantasy spaces, and her lover, making an internal world leak into what is external.
“In Carnations, Martijn Van de Wiele portrays flowers as a symbol of both beauty and the transient nature of our existence. Through these gentle and vulnerable images, the audience is encouraged to reflect on their own experiences with time and change. The film’s pace, alternating between stillness and movement, reflects the ebb and flow of life itself, emphasising how time affects perception and meaning.
Sarah Pucill’s visually arresting 1998 short film Swollen Stigma explores how time passes while considering one’s physical experiences and the limitations imposed on womanhood by society. The main motifs are flowers, frequently shown in an inflated or warped way, illuminating the inner conflicts women face as they navigate a culture that frequently minimises them. Flowers symbolise the tension between individualism and societal standards by serving as a critique of how beauty can be both praised and weaponised.
Collectively, both films emphasise how flowers are complex symbols that may signify both beauty and hardship.” — Iris Diane Palma
An artificial summer rules the greenhouse. Workers tend to carnations. In a multitude of splendid colours, they grow towards the sun until they’re ready to fulfill their cut-flower destiny. Carnations is an audiovisual meditation on movements within a carnation nursery close to filmmaker Martijn van de Wiele’s home.