Using man-made material

January 19th 2018

Our first workshop of 2018, and it was an exciting way to kick off the year!  In keeping with the artistic principles of Sogetsu Ikebana, the challenge was to use only man-made material in our compositions.

Ten members of the Study Group assembled for the workshop.  Sensei Prerana started us off  with a demonstration of the theme, and her four compositions were each different, unique and creative, giving the group many ideas for the future.

Each arrangement was accompanied by an interesting narrative which helped us viewers understand the artist's mind.

As she began her first composition, Sensei Prerana said, "I was visiting a craft exhibition recently and I saw a craftsman making bookmarks with different coloured wires.  A thought struck me that I should use these wires.  I ran the next day and literally cajoled the craftsman to sell a few meters of the wires.  While I was very excited with the material,  I still had no idea what to do with them.  At night about 2pm a thought came.  I got up rolled a piece of wire round a thick rolling pin.  Lo and behold it took the shape of a flower.  Happily went back to sleep!"

An arrangement using a glass vase, a fruit bowl, a wine bottle and hand crafted
flowers made from coloured aluminium wires.  Emphasis on using unconventional material.

Her next piece was with fibre glass sheets and Prerana recounted visiting the hardware store and making him cut it into the shapes that she wanted.


The hardware shopkeeper was nonplussed at her requirements, as there was a lot of wastage and unused bits from the sheet!

She used a ceramic container to give structure to the composition and placed the sheets of various shapes in order to create an abstract composition of geometric shapes.

Fibreglass sheets in an abstract, modern composition.

Titled "Hope", this dramatic composition used the discarded wooden frames from her decoupage craft to signify the waste
and destruction that natural calamities have caused.  In the midst of this desolate scene, hope always arises, signified by the
bottle and its floral design.

"Stolen pleasures of childhood" was the theme of this last composition, with bottles of coloured 'forbidden' drink
and the flowers representing the innocence of childhood. 

Sensei Prerana with her very different and exciting compositions!

It was on to the workshop.

Sensei Padma used woven mats and a fan from Manila to create this composition with drama and movement,
with an upside-down pedestal as base.

Sensei Malathi was inspired by the hardware store,
making use of plastic drain heads for mass, wire for lines and steel
scrubbers as well!

Chelvi titled this as "The confused mind" creating mass and colour with decorative party material

Sensei Molly used painted material on a base of wood to create a table arrangement, with the silk pink flowers
in contrast to the brown and gold.

Sensei Trishala created this elegant composition with festive coloured wires
creating beautiful swirls on lines created by plastic wire.

Sensei Ambika's "Wishing Tree" contrasted
the golden box with the  tall painted  branches
festooned with coloured thread. A small
jewelled button and the golden mesh cloth
softened the sharp line of the box.

Bhuvana used the tray from her oven, with a wine bottle and woven coir
to create dramatic movement.

Sensei Divya created a mass of steel lines to complement her container, with the golden flower and leaf bunch adding
a focal point.

It was an invigorating start to 2018, and whilst we initially wondered how we could work without flowers, it was a challenge well met!