Using unconventional material - November workshop and Demo by Chitra T

 Saturday 16th November 2024

It is a rainy week in Chennai as the North-East monsoon brings us rain spells and storms.

10 of us assembled at the ABK hall for our November demonstration and workshop.  Sensei Chitra T chose the theme of unconventional matierla for her demonstration.

She was well prepared and organised, and quickly began after a ew customary announcements..


Chitra T's first composition - Beautiful black glass vase with curves, was complemented with the white wire which was stapled.  Canna lily leaves created bold movement and mass, and was complimented with the wine coloured Chrysanthemums.

She explained the structure of her second composition.  A self made iron stand around which she twined a plastic hose pipe.  A small plastic bottle with water was wired behind, to hold fresh material. 


Her first variation with this unconventional material used gladioli, carnations, fox tail and dieffenbachia leaves.

After the demonstration, after conversations with Riji sensei Malathi, Chitra did another variation with the bold heliconias moving away from the curvy pipes, showing a creative tension between the curves and the straights.


The their composition - Heliconia, jacard net and gypsophila in a silver ornate container with a silver base, to create a mood of Celebration



The workshop got underway after that.

Sensei Prerana used a Brass container with a car hubcap found on the roadside!  She painted it gold and black. Sunflower, banana leaf, red artificial berries and Gypsophilia completed her arrangement.

Chelvi - Gerberas, button chrysanthemum, baby’s breath and desk top calendars in a tin container. with floral design.

Bhuvana used a Ceramic vase as container, created swirls with washing machine inlet hose pipes, and use jerboas and bamboo  to create space and movement. 

Sensei Trishala created this powerful movement using Leaf Philodendron... Bird of Paradise and the wires from Japan in a ceramic vase.

Sensei Ambika was unprepared and created an on the spot composition using a steel water bottle borrowed from Chitra T  as vase, creating some horizontal lines with plastic,  using large spider lily leaves that Bhuvana had brought, and pinching one heliconia from Chitra!

Sensei Pushkala on the other hand was well prepared and planned, with an array of shapes and lines create with man-made materials - a discarded gas pipe, a discarded water filter exit tube, a badminton racket, plastic wires, a ping pong ball and a triangular piece of roofing!  This was the only composition with no fresh material at all.  

Then it was time to sit down and savour the bondas that Prerana made and brought, some hot tea and the sweets brought by Mrs Malathi.  


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