Colour and form: Changing expressions of vocational knowing within floristry education

Abstract

This article investigates how expressions of vocational knowing regarding colour and form changed in Swedish upper secondary floristry education between 1990 and 2015. An analytical approach is used which falls within the framework of a sociocultural interpretation of educational activity. During the period studied, subject matter related to colour and form became increasingly formalised. Empirical data was obtained from multiple sources, including two interviews with an experienced senior teacher, which helped to reveal the local history of a leading Swedish floristry school. The findings of the article are as follows: (i) conceptualisation, verbal analysis and reflection have gained prominence in Swedish floristry education since the 1990s, and (ii) these tools have increasingly served to help participants in education make and express aesthetic judgements. Through a discussion of various aspects of contemporary Swedish floristry education, the article illuminates the complexity of long-term changes in vocational knowing.