The Hindu : Property Plus Chennai : Make way for a vase

The Hindu : Property Plus Chennai : Make way for a vase

Notice the container? Yes, it is a copper water pot. In fact, using imagination and thinking out of the box, you can fashion vases out of a range of objects… the sky is the limit. In fact, you can even improvise upon the half of a tender coconut and create a vase out of it!

That is how innovative and enterprising you can get with Sogetsu Ikebana.

Vine, ginger lilies
In this arrangement by Sogetsu Ikebana teacher Malathi Pandurang, the twigs branching across space towards the onlooker let out a sense of wilderness.

Malathi has also used vine, ginger lilies, Ixora branches, and Heliconia in the arrangement.

Sturdy branches
The sturdy Ixora branches do stand out and dominate the arrangement, but it is the copper pot which actually inspired the entry of the Ixora branches. “I wanted to use something sturdy to complement the deep colour and texture of the copper pot, which is what the Ixora branches achieve.

The same effect can be arrived at by using guava or lemon branches, while lighter grassy material wouldn’t work”, explains Malathi.

Heliconia entered the scene because they are locally grown flowers, which again gels well with the traditional tag and antiquity of the copper pot.

Again, the deep red ginger lilies and the tender coconuts accentuate the traditional tone of the arrangement, while the vine connects the whole arrangement together.