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GREEN MATTERS
Saying it with flowers the Japanese way
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Ikebana bestows life, recreates flower wealth and takes us close to nature, writes Swathi. V.
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-Photo: Satish. H.
Ushering in tranquillity: Arranging flowers in a meaningful way.
The relevance of greenery is most often presumed to be outside the home. Nowadays, the concept is undergoing a seachange with the scarcity of space becoming the hallmark of our ever-expanding-but-never-accommodative city. Indoor plants were the first invitees into the home environs. Close on their heels were the Bonsai, terrace gardens and rock gardens.
Another option of home greenery which has not received much attention pertains to flower arrangement.
Flower arrangement is most often associated with boardrooms and five-star hotels simply because those commercially grown bunches of roses and gladioli just refuse to fit in the middle class wallet.
An effective alternative is in Ikebana, the Japanese art of recreating flower wealth world in dainty containers.
Ikebana is very much different from the conventional western arrangements as it is not based on the massing of flowers and foliage in symmetrical fashion. A freshly picked twig entwined to a straight rod of dried wood can as well make a pleasant Ikebana arrangement that will sure steal hearts and stay in them too.
Cardinal principles
“Based on the three precepts of minimalism, asymmetry and imitation of nature, Ikebana nevertheless makes it a point to imbibe all the principles of aesthetics such as harmony, balance, rhythm and depth,” says Ohryu Rekha Reddy, the 2nd Master of Ohara Ikebana (Ph: 23608187) from Jubilee Hills. She recently conducted a workshop at the Agri Horticultural Society inside Public Gardens for Ikebana enthusiasts.
Ikebana may use all natural products such as twigs, branches, wines, leaves, grass, berries, fruits and seeds apart from flowers as also artificial substances such as glass, metal and plastic at times.
Dried and wilted plants are not taboo either. On the contrary, they add beauty by creating an apt replication of nature.
Containers for Ikebana could be as varied as those to be contained in them. Baskets, glass bowls, ceramics, plastics or bottles— or for that matter, anything which can hold water may be used for the arrangements. Pin holders or sponges may be used to hold the stems as per the need.
“Ikebana in the most basic form has a subject, an object and fillers at different heights to depict heaven, man and earth respectively, according to Buddhist philosophy,” informs Ms. Rekha.
Varied patterns
Hana Isho, the basic category of Ikebana constitutes two forms, namely Rising Forms and Inclining Forms. Rising forms, as the name suggests, depicts vertical orientation of the subject.
An inclining form imitates horizontally bent forms of nature such as a palm leaves. Advanced Hana Isho has radial, circular and row patterns also.
Ikebana may also be classified as Moribana and Heika depending on the containers used, she informs.Moribana uses shallow and wider containers to represent a broad expanse while the latter uses deeper and taller ones to depict vertical shapes of mother nature.
Hana Mai, translated as Dancing Flowers, is another form of Ikebana which explores the curvaceous patterns in nature by creating rhythm between multiple elements.
Ohara School specialises in landscape arrangements by which a complete natural setting is replicated in a pot. Morimono, another style uses fruits too.
“Traditional Ikebana harks back to Tokonoma in Japan, whereby a recess inside the home is decorated with a flower arrangement on one side and a painted scroll on the other.
Modern homes cannot afford that kind of space, hence the use of simplified styles such as Hana Isho in its updated form,” says Ms. Rekha.
Creative guidelines for Ikebana
According to accepted ratios, the length of the subject should be double the length of the container while the object should be a third the length of the subject.No two flowers or twigs should be of the same height. Natural world is not symmetrical.
Care should be taken to make the flowers look upwards.
Drooping flowers should be avoided
If pin-holder is visible, add a few fillers.
Cut the stems only a little at a time while adjusting the length. Once cut, the length can not be regained and the foliage will be wasted.
If the stem is hollow, fill water into it and close with a cotton ball before using. This will sustain the arrangement for a long time.
Drive the stems vertically into the pin holder, then tilt them to attain an angle .
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