In this colourful, hands-on activity, you will become a Flower Detective and crack the floral code.

What does a rose really say? Why does lily mean purity? And how can a bouquet carry a secret message?

In this colourful, hands-on activity, you will become a Flower Detective and crack the floral code. Follow clues through paintings and literature, investigate the flowers in Manet's Olympia, and discover the nineteenth-century French Le Langage des fleurs by Charlotte de La Tour.

Put your detective skills to the test: match flowers with their hidden meanings, decode messages and create a sélam : a secret message communicated through a carefully chosen bouquet. You will discover how flowers have expressed love, desire, grief, remembrance and power, and why they have been so closely associated with women and emotions.

Finally, choose what a flower should mean today and help create a new language of flowers for the twenty-first century.

This activity is designed for adults and requires no previous knowledge.

Dr Aude Campmas is a Lecturer in French Studies at the University of Southampton. Her research explores the fascinating relationships between flowers, women, art and literature, particularly in nineteenth-century France.

CONTENT NOTICE: This workshop is suitable for ages 18+ and explores themes of the human body, sexuality, reproduction, and love through discussion and artistic representations.

Show Times: 12:30, 15:30

Run Time: 60 minutes

Suitability: 18+ only

PLEASE NOTE: a few additional tickets for each workshop will be available on the day at the lecture theatre entrance in Sir James Matthew Building, on a first-come-first-served basis.

Accessibility: Venue is wheelchair accessible. A quiet room will be available nearby - please ask a member of the festival team for directions. Please visit the site here for further information: Accessibility (southamptonartshumfest.co.uk) (https://www.southamptonartshumfest.co.uk/artshumday/accessibility/)

PLEASE NOTE: This ticket gives you access to the workshop only. You will need to book a FREE general admission ticket for Arts and Humanities Day to complete your registration to the festival, by filling the form here: Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/arts-and-humanities-day-2026-tickets-2002801421967?aff=oddtdtcreator)

This event is taking place as part of Arts and Humanities Day, the fun-filled family-friendly flagship event of Southampton Arts and Humanities Festival (https://www.southamptonartshumfest.co.uk/).

Please contact the event organiser at festival@soton.ac.uk if you have any questions regarding the event you are booking.

Visit the Arts and Humanities Day's official website at Southampton Arts and Humanities Festival 2026 - Whats-on (southamptonartshumfest.co.uk) (https://southamptonartshumfest.co.uk/artshumday/whats-on/) to find out the full festival programme and plan your attendance.

Don't forget to follow UoS Engagement and #UoSArtsHumFest on social media to stay up to date with the latest news and upcoming events.

Description supplied by the event organiser.