Flourishing is an artistic research project initiated by Alexandra Reill in the spring of 2026. It focuses on examining recent developments in flourishing research and exploring how life can flourish on Earth today, as well as what is needed to guide it toward a flourishing future. The topic of flourishing, with its diverse and often mutually or multidirectionally influencing components, can only be considered as a meta-question.
Therefore, this trans-, inter-, and anti-disciplinary project considers only a narrow range of aspects individually selected by the artist and researcher. Currently, the author is primarily concerned with the following topics in the context of flourishing:
“Classic” contemporary research approaches (cf. from happiness research, positive psychology, and cognitive sciences); contemporary spirituality research (“flourishing as narrative and the creation of myth”); creativity and artistic research (including a look at keeping lists for writing stories and the analysis of artistic projects that work with them; “spatialization” of flourishing); influences of social inequalities on general well-being (including a look at the formation of social structures through access to common goods); innovative monitoring and evaluation strategies in (artistic) research projects.
The overall project is divided into various structural modules, which are selected “in the flow,” so to speak, during the ongoing research process. In terms of content, these segments may overlap, and in both respects—content and form-wise, creative invention occurs. In both respects the way it emerges can be varied in the different modules or may occur without any changes applied simultaneously.
The overall project is divided into various work modules, the introduction and structural development of which are decided and implemented, so to speak, “in the flow” and as part of the research progress. The way in which content-related or formal strategies are applied can vary completely from one module to another; they may be adapted or remain unchanged. They may overlap in terms of content or form, and—from both perspectives—this gives rise to “innovation created in real time and by creativity”—in the sense of creating something that has never existed before.
Currently, the following modules (which, as of this writing, are still almost entirely unpublished works in progress) are available under the following titles:
- SERIES OF RESEARCH PAPERS
(2500–15000 characters; final number of characters per paper not yet determined)
- Flourishing in happiness research, positive psychology, and the cognitive sciences
- Flourishing in contemporary spirituality research
- Flourishing as narrative and the creation of myths
- Creativity and artistic research (including, among other things, the use of list-making for writing history and stories, with an analysis of artistic projects that employ this approach)
- The “unfolding” of flourishing “in spaces” of artistic research
- The impact of social inequalities on general well-being (including a focus on the formation of social structures through access to public goods)
- Innovative monitoring and evaluation strategies in (artistic) research projects on flourishing.
- AIR BORMES: RICHNESS OF FLOURISHING
The wall installation AIR Bormes: Richness of Flourishing consists of a 3c / 4c series of individual photographs and (looping) very short films, as well as photo and video series, each of which has its own title. All of these works depict lush, growing, and blooming plants.
The photographs were taken in the spring of 2026 during a week-long residency in southern France undertaken by Alexandra Reill. After reviewing all the photographs, the artist found it remarkable that, unlike on any other trip she had ever taken, and apparently unconsciously—with the exception of only a very few, isolated shots that were essentially those of a tourist—she had photographed exclusively plants and flowers.
Whether her fascination with and admiration for a plant world of such exuberance—one she had never before experienced, both in its locally specific diversity and its overall characteristics—had a retroactive effect on her subconscious, or whether the choice of subjects occurred in the reverse order, remains an open question.
An initial review of all the works in this module has been completed, as has the development of working titles for the individual sub-works. The current task is to finalize the work titles and the display formats for the individual images and videos. This will be followed by a review of the sub-works to determine their arrangement in relation to one another, as well as the presentation format and the calculation of the spatial dimensions of the wall installation.
Until this is complete, inquiries regarding individual works or sub-series are welcome. - FLOURISHING AT #nfcdab 2026
“The Amsterdam show in the 7th edition of #nfcdab (Near-Field Communication Digital Art Biennale) [… (2026)] uses NFC/QR-technology to exhibit […] net art in physical, public places. As such it’s a bridge between the digital and the physical and makes it possible to create site-specific, contextual and multi-layered works.” – #nfcdab [1]
As part of the 7th #nfcdab, Alexandra Reill will be represented by kanonmedia with an (audio-)visual work from Flourishing. - A GLASS OF WATER
Alexandra Reill, 2026
Photography
SYNOPSIS
The photography A Glass of Water is part of the artistic research project Flourishing (2026–) investigating known and unknown options for creating a future in the here and now which hold potential to enable flourishing in the face of the diverse challenges of global life, which is characterized more by irritating fragmentation than by inventive responsibility for global abundance.
Please note: The exhibition of the photography could be accompanied by text excerpts from the artistic research on the topic.
FORMATS
Digital:
RGB, 3024 x 4032 Pixel, 72 dpi
Digital print:
CMYK, 25 x 34 cm, 300 dpi
FRAMING
Digital:
4:3 flat matte black screen with a diagonal measurement of at least 21 inches (approx. 53.3 cm), mounted on a wall.
Virtual chamoix passepartout of ca. 10% of the image size to be added
Digital print:
4c on structured matte chamoix paper
Ca. 4 cm of unprinted paper to be added to the image size
Mounted in matte black wood frame with rounded edges of ca. 2,5 cm width and 0,3 cm height - FLOURISHING: WITH LUKAS IN THE MORE THAN LUSHLY BLOOMING SONNWENDVIERTEL
Alexandra Reill, 2026
Series of three photographies
Just a minimally small interpretative-documentary photo series from spring 2026 on wealth of moments experienced together in seven months …
The digital series of original photographs was given to Lukas Kaltenbäck by the artist in 2026 and is part of his art collection.
(PRESENTATION) FORMATS
To be published
For further infos and high resoluton images, please send a message to info [at] kanonmedia [dot] com.
1#nfcdab (Ed.) (2026), The Amsterdam show – #nfcdab 2026 edition 7. OPEN CALL: “tha’a’dam,” https://noemata.net/nfcdab/2026/ (accessed 1 August 2026). Translation: Alexandra Reill + Google Translator, 1 August 2026.