Plastic is Fantastic

One of the new features in ikebana introduced by Sofu Teshigahara, founder of the Sogetsu school, was abstract freestyle arrangements using nonorganic materials. Sofu, who was fascinated by modern western avant-garde movements such as Cubism and Surrealism, started experimenting with what he called avant-garde ikebana, or Zenei-bana, at the end of the 1920s, using scrap metal and other unconventional materials.

Although Sogetsu ikebana is again turning to more naturalistic arrangements, the avant-garde ikebana is still an important style. I was handed a plastic chopping board by my teacher to be used as the main material for a series of ikebana arrangements. As many variations as possible using one Aspidistra leaf, two Carnations and three straws of Bear grass in a green on green composition.

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The Story of a Tea House

Not far from the city centre of Stockholm, Sweden - in the park outside The Museum of Ethnography, you can enjoy a genuine tea ceremony in the Japanese tea house named Zui-Ki-Tei, The Cottage of Auspicious Light. This tea house was built in 1990 as a replacement for an earlier tea house that unfortunately burned to the ground in 1969. This early tea house has an interesting and fascinating history.

In 1888 a young Swedish woman named Ida Trotzig moved to Japan to live with her newly wedded husband who was a Swedish businessman in Kobe. She stayed for more than 30 years, studied Japanese culture and wrote a book on tea ceremony that was published in Sweden in 1911. She studied for many years with the Omotesenke School of tea.

After publishing her book on tea ceremony she decided to take up ikebana studies and was accepted, probably as the first European, by the Misho school in Kyoto. When she died in 1943, a manusrcipt for a book on ikeabana dating from the 1920s was discovered. She was especially interested in the symbolism and culture of arranging flowers, and the book that was finally published in Swedish in 1990 gives a good insight into ikebana theaching in the early 1900s.

Through the eyes of a westerner, Trotzig experiences the magic of an ikebana exhibition held in the spring of 1915, at Saga Gosho in the old temple Daikaku-ji. At first, she writes, the many traditional flower arrangments that were being prepared in front of her eyes looked the same. Only when she looked closer, the many details made each of the arrangemnets uniqe and special.

Trotzig studied thoroughly and got the highest degree of the Misho school that was open to women at this time. Only men could reach the highest levels and the tradition was treated as secret teachings thought trough the different steps.

To Ida Trotzig there was an obvious and close relation between the arranging of flowers and the practice of tea ceremony. After moving back to Sweden she became a driving force behind the building of a the first teahouse in Europe. This was the first Zui-Ki-Tei in the garden of The Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm, inaugurated in 1935.

Books:

Ida Trotzig: Japansk blomsterkonst, bokförlaget Signum 1990, ISBN 91-87896-04-4

Gaby Stenberg: Ida Trotzig, min mormor, Japanpionjären, Ellerströms förlag 2009, ISBN 9172472162

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Leftover Sunbeams

It's kind of chilly outside. Still, if you are lucky enough to get in the way of a sunbeam you'll feel the warmth. It's almost like leftovers from the hot summer days.

I had some Sunflowers that I used in the ikebana class, and decided to let them light up my dinner table to remind me to make the most out of the sunny moments.

Floating ishu-ike (one material only) arrangement with Sunflowers in a triangular container.

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Earthy Colours

Summer is over and I'm taking up my ikebana studies again. Early autumn with clear air, a lot of moist, and if you are lucky - bright autumn sun. In ikebana autumn arrangements are meant to bring out the thoughtfulness and the beauty of sadness.

The trees have only just started getting their red and yellow colours so it's a bit early for poetry about falling leaves. Even so, and so that I don't forget, I'm posting an autumn poem by the great Chinese poet Li Bai. Enjoy it now or save it for later:

The autumn air is clear,

The autumn moon is bright.

Fallen leaves gather and scatter,

the jackdaw perches and starts anew.

We think of each other- when will we meet?

This hour, this night, my feelings are hard.

Sunflower, Daylily leaves and dried Tansy in a yellow vase.

Autumn is also about the energy of colours. Yellow brings joy and optimism. Brown brings safety and grounding. In these two arrangements the starting point is the colour of the container, reinforced by the plant materials. The container is always as important as the flowers in ikebana. Focusing on the colour of the container is one of the lessons taught by the Sogetsu school to help creating a harmonious arrangement.

Sunflower, dried Tansy and Daylily leaves in a brownish ceramic container.

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A Moment - Michiko Takahashi Nilsen

If you are in Oslo this September you should definitely take time to visit Kunsthåndverkerne i Kongens gate, an artist-run gallery for exhibition and sale of arts and crafts in the center of Oslo. This months exhibition features ceramics by the Japanese born artist Michiko Takahashi Nilsen.

Takahashi Nilsen lives and works in the north of Norway. "My wish is that the contrasts should meet in an interaction, and that the result of flame and ash in the shape, colour and texture will be reminiscent of the organic nature", she says. I love her wood fired ceramic bowls with interesting shapes and sometimes strong yet earthy colours - a perfect challenge for ikebana arrangements.

The exhibition is called "A moment" and lasts from September 7th to October 3rd.

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Ikebana Gift Basket Surprise

Iemoto Akane Teshigahara visited Sydney, Australia for the celebration "50 Golden Years of Sogetsu in Australia and New Zealand" in May this year. She held a spectacular demonstration which can now be seen on YouTube, one video for each arrangement and one for the grand finale - a full scale installation with dramatic lighting.

One of the arrangements, using a bamboo basket made by the Iemoto herself, was surprisingly given away to a member of the audience. What a nice gesture. I hope the winner had strong arms since the arrangement is quite large and looks heavy.

I've also chosen a video for my blog where Akane is using the same intertwining technique as in one of my resent postings. The Weeping willow that she is using is a much lighter material than the Birch in my arrangement. Still I can't help thinking it would be fun to try making it into a large arrangement, maybe I will. Now enjoy the demonstration by the Iemoto.

Thank you Venkatesh Lyer of the "Ikebana and us" blog for information about the videos.

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Drifting Away

Here comes another horizontal arrangement - this time going only in one direction. I think this vase is from Mexico. It has a wonderful pattern of swirling leaves in the black surface that goes very well with the drifting lines of the branches. Unfortunately one can not see the pattern in the photo.

Dried salix, red roses and bergenia leaves in a black clay vase.

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Again and Again

Repeating forms is a great way of making an impression. It's also helps you to go a little bit further than you would usually do.

"Again and again again again again again
Never stop
Again and again again again again again
Never stop oh" (Lady Gaga)

Actually you got to be able to stop when there is balance. It's just that when the form is clean it can sometimes take much more than you think.

Horse tail triangles and a contrasting Allium ball in triangular containers.

Long green leaves tied into circles and Allium in a circular green container.

Dried bamboo and Calla Lily in a triangular container.

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Stretching Out

There is never an ikebana arrangement without a clear focus on lines. In these two arrangements the idea is to demonstrate the strength of stretching out in horizontal lines.

Tree branches with lichens, Calla lily and Aspidistra leaf.

Ephedra and red roses. Horizontal arrangement in a contrasting circular vase.

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Space, Form and Energy

A couple of years ago I attended a two day kado program arranged by the Shambhala Meditation Centre of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Kado is Japanese for "The way of the flowers". In Shambhala Buddhism kado is a creative meditation praxis with more focus on the prosess of creating the ikeabana than on the completed arrangement. The founder of Shambhala Buddhism, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche held a teachers diploma from the Sogetsu school and had studied with the well renowned ikebana master Stella Coe in England.

I found some videos from the Shambhala Art Intensive training 2010 held in Los Angeles on the Shambhala Art website. They have very generously posted a series of short videos from their arts education program designed to integrate meditation with the creative and viewing processes. The kado teaching is held by Marcia Shibata, demonstrating the principles of heaven, earth and human, or space, form and energy as she name them. Marcia Shibata also led the program that I attended in Rotterdam. It gives me such joy to see her again - cyber space is fantastic. I'm sharing part 1 of the kado teaching with you. The rest you'll have to watch on your own.

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