Ikebana and us

Japan Cultural Week was celebrated at the Lalita Kala Academy, Chennai. It included Japanese Dolls Exhibition and Tea Ceremony. Some members of the Sogetsu Chennai Study Group did Ikebana arrangements as well. Here are some Pictures. By Vaishali Vaishali Meenu Molly Meenu

His Holiness The Dalai Lama visited Auroville. On this occasion, Sensei Valeria did Many Ikebana arrangements to welcome Him. Here are some pictures. (Please click on them for bigger ones). Thank you Sensei. Nice arrangement The Golden Disk of the Matri Mandir (in the background) is used as a vase. Sensei & the monks giving the finishing touch at the Buddha Altar Another arrangement One more Ikebana Sensei at work Finished arrangement The Dalai Lama

I was desperately looking for Flowering plants that grow on the edges of standing water and I found these pictures :) All of them grow close to water bodies - lakes, ponds etc. I wish i got some of these for the exhibition for my arrangements. Please visit the following link for more details and pictures: http://www.ontariowildflower.com/lakeedge.htm Blue Flag Water Parsnip Loosestrife Purple Plant Marsh St John'swort flower - (I simply love this ) Cardinal Flower Marsh Marigold Pampas Grass (I am sure I have found this in my place :) )

It was my first experience with a Japanese tea ceremony here in Madras, and quite an event it was! Organised at the Japanese Consulate, it may have been sniffed at by the purists, but for us non-Japanese, it was a whiff of their culture, zen thought and philosophy. So much care, silence, the trickle of water, the appreciation of the tea cup, the deliberate cleaning of the serving cup and other implements.... All for a cup of tea you may ask?  Its not the end that matters but the process I guess! Take a look at all the implements that were involved. We were told that the whisk (that you see in the foreground) is ceremonially consigned to the temple fire, once a year in a special ceremony. Then there's a cloth to wipe the ladle, another to wipe out the guests' cup...all in all very complicated! One must make the time to relax, meditate, and calm the mind before having the energising tea! Above is the container holding the cool water.  This is poured deliberately into the boiler,...

The light blue colour of dry vine and geometric shape make it an effective arrangement, writes Hema Vijay Stay fresh: Dry vines retain their colour and texture for years. The Hindu : Property Plus Chennai : Giving ikebana a modern feel Tired of reading meanings or concepts from plant material? Looking for an arrangement that is not just decorative either? How about abstract ikebana? Apparently, abstract art can be configured with ikebana, as elucidated by this dry vine and orchid arrangement by Vaishali N. Vasa, Ikebana teacher and model maker. The modern-looking chocolate brown Indian ceramic vase with its three tiny holes was the starting point. “The vase seemed too small and I wanted to make a big ikebana with dry material. So, I decided to arrange the dry vine (called mitsumata in Japanese) in a triangular format”, explains Vaishali. The vines, which are four times lengthier than the vase, are kept tied by soft metal wire. The vines enclose space and enlarge the ikebana. The light...

The Hindu : Property Plus Chennai : Even marsh weeds come handy! You can create great effect with the use of wild marsh weeds in a classic ikebana frame, writes Hema Vijay. Natural feel: A handful of marsh weeds set upright on a shallow ceramic vase. Need Ikebana be expensive and fanciful? Are those spectacular orchids and imported flowers a must? Not at all. You can use plant material you see around and create a great effect. Like Venkatesh Sthanusubramanian, who has brilliantly created a classy ikebana arrangement using marsh weeds growing wild in the countryside! “I keep travelling in the countryside and the bull rush weeds that inevitably grow near water bodies caught my attention”, says Venkatesh. That was the inspiration which culminated in this arrangement. Venkatesh caught hold of a handful of these weeds and set them upright (using an ikebana pin holder) on a shallow ceramic vase. A few stalks of tiny white star daisies and pink asters arranged casually at the base of the weed...

I love the Lotus and always wanted to do an Ikebana with it. I was thrilled to discover a lotus pond very near my home, on my way to work. My daughter and I now visit the pond frequently - sometimes to collect flowers and sometimes just to look at its beauty. However, it was not a very joyful experience trying to make an Ikebana with the lotus and lillies. The lotus would immediately droop - the moment it is cut and taken out of water!! Those lilies from the pond are better - they stay upright for some time. However, I had to insert thin sticks like the rib of coconut leaf into the stem to keep them straight. Even then they last only for about a couple of days maximum. The Sogetsu Lesson says to inject liquid in which tobacco is soaked into the stem. I tried doing it with an ordinary syringe and ended up in a horrible mess - dejected and disappointed. Then I saw this picture of Iemoto Akane's arrangement in the Sogetsu Website. It was telling me that indeed, a beautiful Ikebana IS ...

Ensuring a perfect balance Twin-core ikebana arrangement creates a unitary effect, writes Hema Vijay Seen as one: Ikebana can be used a pair to create a unitary effect. It is a twin core, where you can read two as one and one as two. This particular twin-core ikebana arrangement rooted in plant material leads our thoughts into philosophic material… concepts like dual self, virtual reality and so on. "The shape of these Sri Lankan ceramic vases inspired me to use them as a pair", says Sogetsu Ikebana teacher Malathi Pandurang. Marked split While the inner curving outlines of the two vases complement each other to create a unitary effect, it can also be read as a marked split. The perfect balance between the two vases enables them to be read as one, though they are two. Two kinds of plant material have been used too. The solid and vivid heliconia and the cloudy and fragile limoneum flowers. Rocklike "It is a very simple composition, actually. After putting the two vases to...

With wonderful fellowship through flowers, the weekend and the exhibition are now just a memory. Twelve enthusiastic participants in the exhibition brought out the theme of Beauty in Nature. Friday was a beehive of activity, with the Lalit Kala Akademi floor strewn with cut material, buckets, vines, branches, pots, pans, pinholders and vases. My mother began with her huge pot, and proceeded with focus from one arrangement to the other, not stopping for anything! I on the other hand was in a panic, as my bambbos wouldn't "behave", and the little cans to hold water wouldn't stay where I wanted them to. With much engineering assistance from my father, the terracotta pot with bamboo was done! But time was running on, and I had to hurry on. Incessant chatter filled the hall, as Trishala asked Padma aunty how to make her palm leaf stand, Vaishali called out her suggestions, Prerana made some wisecracks and Pushkala laughed at the confusion. Venkatesh arrived with his...

A Happy new year to you all! We have our first workshop for the new year. Its at IIT at the residence of Vaishali, on 7th January at 10:30 am. We are gearing up for our annual exhibition in March, so its time to get down to creation! Vaishali suggest we take a walk around the campus and look for material.

When I am caught up with my day-to-day life, trying to be practical, rational and maximising my time, all I need is an exposure to the Japanese to suddenly bring me into the world of aesthetics. It never fails, happens all the time. Whether it is seeing them work in an Ikebana class, decorating their food or giving a gift. I am left feeling clumsy and uncouth and bumbling (add to this the fact that I'm almost twice their size!) When they attend a class, they will work in such a way that there will hardly be any mess around. Whereas I will litter the place around me, and then clean up! The dish they use to serve their food, the way they present it is as important as the food itself. I would just clunk the food down in the first dish I can lay my hands on. They will give a gift in a wrapper which is so beautiful that you dont feel like opening the present! Ikebana has definitely improved my sensitivity to and appreciation of aesthetics. I really look forward to the monthly workshops...

I remember using these lovely yellow spikes in our last Ikebana exhibition, but did not know the name. They are in bloom once again, and I have been able to identify it, thanks to the flowers of india website. It is called Candle Bush - how appropriate, isnt it? Here are the details from that site: "Common name: Candle bush, Ringworm shrub, Dadmurdan दादमुर्दन (Hindi), Seemaiagathi (Tamil), Simayakatti (Malayalam) Botanical name: Senna alata Family: Fabaceae (pea family) Synonyms: Cassia alata This plant, a 6 - 25 feet tall, perennial shrub, has erect waxy yellow spikes that resemble fat candles before the individual blossoms open. The large leaves are bilateral - symetrical opposed and fold together at night. The fruit is a pod, while the seeds are small and square. The leaves contain chrysophanic acid. The leaves are reported to be sudorific, diuretic and purgative, being used in the same manner as senna. The leaves are commonly used for ringworm and other skin diseases....

Spring First, the demonstration started with Iemoto Akane doing an Ikebana composition on one side of the stage. Take a look at the amateur video below, to see how she worked. No music, just silence for this prelude. And the oncidium used in the exhibit stood out, in my opinion. In the diagonally opposite corner, she did another arrangement with huge hydrangeas and glory lilies. The vase for this piece was outstanding, and was her own creation. All this was carried out in silence. Suddenly, a parchment covering the entire floor of the arena almost, appeared, and there was Akane, creating a lovely calligraphy, which read "Flower is Heart" - we were told, by the announcer Summer Then the stage was cleared, and we were thrown into pitch dark silence. Then came some haunting chanting as the musicians of Yaz Kaz (http://www.yas-kaz.com/en.htm) along with some drummers from Senegal took to the stage! This was a really dramatic portion of the whole performance. Take a ...