This micro-story focuses on the rude&bold character Sally Seton from Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs. Dalloway (1923). The novel takes place on one summer day when Clarissa, now middle-aged, hosts a dinner party at her home in London. In the morning, she begins preparations by taking a walk to buy some flowers and on her walk and throughout the day, she reminisces and reflects about defining moments in her life—what Virginia Woolf called "moments of being." "The most exquisite moment" of Clarissa's whole life was Sally Seton's kiss, which still lingers twenty years later. And that moment was "too quickly interrupted" by the intrusion of some male-gazing guests at some other, long-ago party. Clarissa had not seen Sally (now Lady Rosseter) for many years. Unexpectedly, Sally shows up at this party.

The title WICKED TO TREAT FLOWERS LIKE THAT comes from words spoken by Sally's Aunt Helena who was horrified by Sally's be-heading of flowers. Aunt Helena, representing the social norm of the time, considered Sally's behavior rude. Clarissa, however, had been attracted to Sally's rebellious nature, which she considered bold: the way she made statements to get a reaction, smoked cigars, sat on the floor with her knees up, read socialist writings (William Morris, for example).

Much has been written about Clarissa's (and Woolf's) masked lesbian passion. I chose to reveal Sally at her rude&bold best—flower arranging—and through some bold re-arranging of text, end with another moment of pleasure interrupted.

I "framed" selected lines to draw attention to the text and to help readers/viewers/voyeurs think about text as image. Framed lines 1, 2 & 9 are in reference to Clarissa, but I transfer them to Sally.

I like the idea of making the virtual "actual" in the form of an installation that includes text, images, and artifacts. In this case, I also liked the challenge of re-presenting some links on an actual wall. You can get some idea of the installation I did for the Rude & Bold Women Visual Arts Show (Binghamton, NY, October 2009) from the following collection of photographs taken on opening night.          ~Pamela Gay


The title WICKED TO TREAT FLOWERS LIKE THAT as an LED "moving message." The text is displayed on an 18" x 36" gator board placed over a vanity dressing table with a bowl of flower heads in front. Several linked images appear on the wall off to the sides. To the left is a metal stand with the novel Mrs. Dalloway opened to highlighted text.

A close-up of the text displayed on gator board.
A fuller view of the vanity table and artifacts.
A close-up of a mannequin head (on vanity table) wearing a 1920s yellow-feathered hat that Sally might have worn.

A contemporary version of Sally & Clarissa to the right above a vase of red roses on a stand.

A close-up of "Sally & Clarissa" from my exhibit "Reflections on Boscov's Paris Mannequins" (River Read Books, May 2009).

A close-up of the bowl with flower heads, including a black ribbon that had been tied around the stem of a red rose before be-heading as was sometimes done for executions during the Reign of Terror to guide the point of a guillotine blade.

Another view of the bowl of flower heads. It became fashionable in the 18th century to wear neck ribbons either in celebration or in mourning for the beheaded victims of the guillotine. These ribbons were usually red. While Aunt Helena did not approve of Sally's way of flower arranging, I do not think she would have been inclined to wear a red ribbon around her neck in sympathy. What do you think?

Clarissa (crossing to the dressing-table) plunged into the very heart of the moment, transfixed it there-the moment of this June morning on which was the pressure of all the other mornings, seeing the glass, the dressing-table, and all the bottles afresh, collecting the whole of her at one point (as she looked into the glass)... (39)

— Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf