Ikebana and us

The Hindu : Property Plus Chennai : Ikebana through your eye This is an abridged version of the email interview that Sensei Malathi had with Iemoto Akane, on her return from the Sogetsu 80th Anniversary celebrations, in 2007. The complete interview and article was published in this blog earlier in Nov 07, as "An Interview with Iemoto Akane".

Unfortunately, The Hindu chopped off the line, and I could not find the original picture!  Sorry Prerana. The Hindu : Property Plus Chennai : Minimalism meets here The twain between the East and the West sometimes presents itself when you least expect it. Like in this ikebana arrangement by Prerana Mehta. Done with Arelia leaves and carnations, it explicitly brings out the contrast between eastern and western notions of floral design. Watch the line these Arelia stems take; upwards. The lines are important here. In Japanese, this is called the ‘Shin’ line or the line that drifts heavenwards. “In the West, you just clump a bunch of flower stalks in a vase to create a spectacular effect. In contrast, philosophical concepts are an integral part of ikebana”, Prerana says. This arrangement was a tribute to my teacher, she adds. Incidentally, Ikebana is not primarily about aesthetics, and not even about just art. Its true significance lies in its philosophical reverberations. Which is perhap...

Here are the photos of an eventful, fun and creative Ikebana workshop earlier this week, where the focus was on improvising or creating your own vase. While uploading them, blogspot seemed to take on a life of its own, and kept jumbling the picture order!! So, the writing and the pictures are not complementing one another, try as I might. Prerana Prerana - our hostess for the day - went the whole hog and transformed a dull and dreary steel water kettle into this ethnic vase!  I loved the colour combination for the vase, as well as the lovely lines in the arrangement. Molly brought a little pull-along cart (is it her grandchild's?!), and the violet lilies looked all set to be pulled off to the market! Molly Trishala Trishala Meenu Prerana Trishala produced a cardboard box with a cut "window".  Placing the vase inside that changed the entire shape of the vase don't you think?  With the lovely long palm lines accentuated by the trimming of the leaves. Ashok Then she we...

Linda's Ikebana Originally uploaded by l1nda1 I like this arragement. What do you think? We should also pay attention to the background and lighting when we finish our compositions...... Lets try to do so at our tomorrow's workshop!

The Hindu : Property Plus Chennai : A celebration of colour The flash of green is what catches the eye first. Your sight would then trail along the bright green Arelia leaves, perhaps perch for a moment on the brown-black twig in the background, and then hop on to the streak of flame-coloured and maroon orchids at the base. This floral arrangement by Trishala Vaishnav is a celebration of colour. The spectacle of bright hues is set off by the tiny white ceramic jar, as from a springboard. The pearly white aura of the jar is a perfect foil for the bright colours of the plant material in the arrangement. “The vase is small; so a single flower arrangement would not suit it”, says Trishala. A tiny arrangement, it can easily be accommodated on your work station, or even the window sill. The stalk of Arelia leaves trails out and upwards from the vase interestingly, as if to explore space. The orchids trail off in opposite directions, at a lower level. The casual trail of both the flower and l...

The Hindu : Property Plus Chennai : A touch of floral grandeur Vivid roses arranged in various heights in German silver vase produce an aura of dominance while orchids accentuate the effect, writes Hema Vijay Engrossing exercise: Ikebana arrangement is a great way to destress. Getting your house ready for a formal occasion? Perhaps this is the kind of floral arrangement you can opt for. This tall and regal looking ikebana arrangement by Ikebana teacher Meenakshi Sarin exudes an impressive aura to the ambience. The tall silver vase lends the arrangement the height effect. To contrast with the gleam of silver, Meenakshi has placed a tarnished flat German silver vase atop it. As the German silver vase is wide and flat, pin holders will not serve the purpose here. So, Meenakshi has gone in for Oasis sponges into which she has stuck the stems to hold them in place. While the vivid roses arranged in various heights dominate the arrangement, the orchids accentuate the effect. A trail of delic...

Hold a couple of branches in the vase by angling them against each other to form a cross, writes Hema Vijay Free style: Wayside tree branches can be put up at interesting angles in a vase. The Hindu : Property Plus Chennai : Lines and angles, in right mix Fancy a freestyle artwork with plant material? In other words - freestyle ikebana. Just as abstract artists dream in colour and line without a predetermined composition in mind, Venkatesh Sthanusubramanian has worked casually with plant material to arrive at this interesting arrangement. “I had no specific theme in mind”, says Venkatesh. He started with a tall black container called Nagiere meaning ‘casually thrown in’ in ikebana terms. Venkatesh snapped off wayside tree branches which curved and zigzagged at interesting angles. He stuck a couple of the branches in the vase, holding it in place by angling them against each other to form a cross within the vase. Any tree branch would do, provided the branches are slender enough. “For i...