Ikebana and us

18th July 2018 Mr Kojiro Uchiyama, welcomed with flowers of course! The Study Group gathered again after the summer break, and what a nice way to kickstart our activities again!  We had the pleasure of a visit by the new Consul General of Japan and his wife, Mr Kojiro and Mrs Karen Uchiyama, accompanied by Ms Megumi Shimada, Consul for Cultural Affairs and Information, whom we all know as a well-wisher and friend of the Sogetsu Study Group. Mrs Karen Uchiyama This tea meeting was held at The Savera, a city hotel, who were helpful and accommodating of our needs for buckets, water and other odds and ends that are unique to Ikebana needs! Mr and Mrs Uchiyama are no strangers to India, having served at the embassy in New Delhi several years ago.  In fact, they were familiar with our Sogetsu friends from New Delhi, and spoke fondly of the flower friendships and cooperation during their stay there. The meeting was well attended, with 17 of our member...

April 19th 2018 As summer has well and truly set in in our city, it was but appropriate to have a workshop with the theme of summer.  Ten members were present for the workshop. Sensei Dalley kicked off our meeting with a pleasing demonstration, with dramatic driftwood in each arrangement. Summer brought to mind the dry branches that await the rain. She began with a moribana, no-kenzan arrangement in a ceramic suiban.  She spoke about looking to balance her driftwood pieces naturally without a fixture, that was her aim. Sensei Dalley's first arrangement "Summer in the Woods", with the natural balance of the driftwood, the newly sprouting  leaves and flowers. She had a most interesting anecdote about her second vase,  which as you can see, is a burl, hollowed out tree trunk!  This neem tree branch had grown around the iron angle that adorned her compound wall, and in fact enveloped it.  When cut, it revealed this lovely hollow! Usi...

March 20th 2018 Four of our members had travelled to Delhi to witness the demonstration of  Iemoto designate of Ichiyo school, Naohiro Kasuya.  Watching and absorbing techniques and approaches of other schools of Ikebana is always a enriching experience. For our March meeting, the members hsared heir experiences, pictures and impressions of this demonstration with other members.  The emphasis on natural balance and the Iemoto designate's artistic interpretations of his impressions of India were fascinating and enjoyable.  This was followed by our election agenda. There was unanimous election of the following: Chairperson - Mrs Malathi Pandurang  Deputy Chairperson - Mrs Ambika Chandrasekar Secretary - Mrs Bhuvana Shivshankaran Treasurer - Mrs Chelvi Gopinath They will take over in June 2018, for the 2018 to 2020 period.

23rd and 24th Feb 2018 The Sogetsu Study Group Chennai had its annual exhiition at Focus Art Gallery in Egmore.  It was our first time exhibiting in this gallery, and members enjoyed the aesthetic ambience.  Our exhibition pictures are here. Click on the link above to see the gallery of pictures, regarding the inaugurations, the visitors and the compositions.  Short videos on the speeches by our chief guests are also in the album. It was a colourful and memorable affair!

Our exhibition opens tomorrow A curtain-raiser In the spirit of the rising sun “Ikebana is an ancient art, which entered Japan along with Buddhism. The flowers used were traditional ones, like azaleas, offered to the deity in monasteries,” explains Malathi Pandurang, chairperson of the Sogetsu Study Group. Pandurang goes on to describe how, in an ancient monastery in Kyoto, a priest sat observing a pond and the flowers that grew on it. It occurred to him to use both these as elements of art , “which is why the art form is called Ikebana; ‘ike’ means water and ‘bana’ refers to plant material.” Pandurang has been practising this art for the past four decades, and follows the Sogetsu school of Ikebana. It is one of myriad schools, each with its set of rules and techniques of arrangement. Through her study group, Pandurang and her team have been working to learn, teach and spread this art in Chennai. “Chennai weather is the biggest deterrent,” she says, adding, “The advanta...

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...