We sat down for a chinwag with clever creatives Rachel Burke and Patience Hodgson to get the inside scoop on the inspiration behind their rad new show, Flower. Puppy. Show, happening November 8th in Woolloongabba.

Tell us about how the collaboration came about to create Flower. Puppy. Show. Rachel Burke: We’ve been collaborating in one way or another for years now, from making costumes together for The Grates and serving as Craft Captains at Splendour in the Grass, to hosting our DIY YouTube show Fancy Free Time and dreaming up all sorts of snazzy side projects in between. Flower. Puppy. Show. felt like a natural next step, a mash-up of everything we (and our community) love: music, fashion and craft! We were also really excited to create something totally independent and DIY (literally, we’ve made everything in the show by hand!) and something super tactile and analogue as an ephemeral antidote to our ever-more-digitised lives.What can folks expect to see, hear and do at the show? Patience Hodgson: People can expect to enter a handmade, immersive wonderland where they will get to play a theatre-wide game of pass the parcel led by comedian Emma Holland, snack on Fluffe fairy floss while being serenaded by live music (from both Patience and I). Then to top it all off, they can create their very own flowery-puppy hat! Jessie from Stashworld will also be there to provide you with supplies to commemorate the evening in a page for your journal, and you can also purchase your very own poochie pet by Finn O’Sullivan from Lawn Bowls. 

Where did the inspiration for the show come from? Rachel: One of the things that connects us creatively is our shared love of vintage, whimsy and upcycling. We’ve always loved old swap cards – especially the ones adorned with adorable puppies and flowers. After buying a puppy hat at a local bargain store and pairing it with one of my upcycled outfits, inspiration struck! The mix of flowers and puppies felt perfect, especially once we realised how many songs celebrate both! Also, at the time of coming up with the concept, Patience and I had both recently lost beloved dogs, and it felt like a beautiful way to honour the magic and joy that they bring into our lives. We thought others might feel the same, so we’ve invited people to share photos of dogs they love or have lost, which we’re using to create parts of the show’s set. The idea to turn it all into a live event came together almost instantly. Having produced fashion shows together for years, we knew that combining live music, fashion and a bit of crafty fun would make for exactly the kind of celebration we’d want to attend ourselves!In what ways do you think live music amplifies crafting activities? Patience: Of course, there are so many parallels between craft and music. Both are about improvisation, play and finding flow. We really saw this first-hand at Splendour in the Grass when we captained the craft tent together – it was this magical mix of people singing, stitching and connecting all at once. There was such a shared joy in creating something side by side, with music fueling the energy in the room. Flower. Puppy. Show. feels like a natural extension of that spirit, a space where making and music collide in real time, and where everyone’s invited to join in the connection and creativity.

Is there a puppy or a type of flower in your life that you could say is your favourite? Rachel: I would definitely have to say daisy flowers are my favourite, and I am absolutely obsessed with Dachshunds.

Patience: I adore a carnation, and my favourite dog would have to be a Bull Terrier (but I’ve never owned one). I always love a rescue dog with a mysterious breed.Why have you chosen to make Flower. Puppy. Show. a one-night-only special experience? Rachel: We love the idea of Flower. Puppy. Show. being a one-night-only, magical experience – something special and fleeting. The show feels wonderfully experimental for us, and we’ve relished the challenge of creating every element ourselves. It’s given us the freedom to try something bold and unexpected, and we’re so grateful to do it alongside our creative community. It’s also a deeply personal project, filled with handmade details and sentimental touches that mean a lot to both of us. So much of what we do celebrates the handmade and the here-and-now, and this show is no different. There’s something thrilling about bringing it all together just once – a joyful burst of music, craft and colour that everyone in the room can share as a truly one-off analogue, creative moment.

For more details about the delightful Flower. Puppy. Show. head this-a-way.