Monday, 8 September 2014

Fake Lotus


Bergenia leaf, Roses, gold painted Lotus pod.
Naturalistic freestyle, Lotus pond.

Lotus is one of the most beloved flowers in Japan, symbolizing purity, enlightenment and self-regeneration. It's not possible to get them in Norway, so one has to improvise and find leaves and flowers that can resemble these extravagant plants growing up of the mud. A poor replacement - but it seems the flowers too enjoy the playful pretense.

The Lotus is a summer flower, arranged with a focus on refreshing water. This pond arrangement is a rather complex design reflecting the feeling of a summer breeze in-between the large leaves. The arrangement below, on the other hand, is an exercise in simplifying  and refining, using as little materials as possible.

Raindrops and dewdrops
roll around and meet,
on the lotus.
(Masaoka Shiki 1867-1902)

Bergenia leaf, Chrysanthemum, Bulrush.
Simplified arrangement.


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