To Pick a Flower

Philippines, 2021. Director Shireen Seno. 17min.

Contemplating archival images from the American occupation of the Philippines (1898–1946), Shireen Seno’s film essay draws parallels between the commodification and extraction of forests and the subjugation of people. The film highlights the role of fashion in these histories, inviting reflection on how self-representation can perpetuate or challenge ecological and cultural harm. The act of picking a flower becomes a metaphor for the violent transformation of landscapes into resources under imperial rule. Through its highly evocative photographs, To Pick a Flower critiques the medium’s complicity in both documenting and shaping Western ideologies of domination over nature.  

Past screenings:

Grounded: Fashion’s Entanglements with Nature – London
Thursday 22 May 2025, 19:00 | Barbican, Cinema 2
Presented as a part of the programme ‘Colonial Threads’.