On Saturday I attended a workshop led by Emily Karanikolopoulos at her home studio in Melbourne. The process of the workshop was one that I had previously experienced with Mr Tetsunori Kawana in 2011 in his studio in Tokyo. Emily's workshop started at 10.00am and concluded at 3.00pm, with a break for lunch in the middle of the day.
The attendees were asked to select a single bunch of materials that Emily had prepared, each bunch having only three materials. These materials were then used and re-used to make successive ikebana arrangements over the course of the workshop. This led to a process of exploration and discovery of the possibilities of the materials. Vessels were supplied from Emily's large collection.
I selected a prepared bunch of material that included two long Gymea leaves, Doryanthes palmeri, one weeping branch of spiraea (in bud) and a single stem of dark-red asiatic lily. I decided to challenge myself by using unfamiliar vessels that were of a different style to those in my own collection.
I have seen, and admired, vessels in this conjoined style previously and was delighted to have the opportunity to use one. The spiraea had graceful curves that I accentuated by judicious trimming and removing of some leaves. In spite of the narrow opening in the vessel I was able to insert a fixture so that the stem arose from the opening without touching the sides. This is a technique that gives added lightness to the arrangement.
I then added the asiatic lilies, keeping them lower than the principal material. When I look at this photo now I think I should have removed at least one of the fully opened flowers.
The next vase I chose was large, with an almost matt black surface. I experimented with making a small mass of lines at the mouth by stripping the spiraea. Once stripped, the mass was far too small so I then added a forward cascading line with leaves and buds still intact. This modest arrangement brings greater attention to the visually strong vase.
My final arrangement with the spiraea resulted when I snapped one of the side branches while trying to alter its curve. Again I have arranged the single line to come out of the vase without touching the sides of the opening. The line also mirrors the curves of the vase.
The Gymea leaves had beautiful discolouration toward their tips that I wanted to show. I arranged them in an unusual annular vessel which had an opening in the upper left quadrant. The stem of the lily projected from an opening within the central hole of the vessel.
I was impressed when Emily told me that she had made this vase herself some years ago. Both the colour and design are bold. I deliberately placed the vase on its side to emphasise the angle of the longer Gymea leaf (initially it was parallel to the slope of the vase).
My final experiment was in a flat fronted rectangular vase with a silver surface. I wanted to emphasise the flat surface of the leaves and liked the way I was able to create concentric lines with the leaves sitting within the vase opening, but only showing a small part of their edges. This is another of the Sogetsu curriculum exercises, 'A simplified arrangement', that Mr Kawana had taught in a workshop in Melbourne some years ago.
This close-up shows that I reduced the arrangement to showing the edges of four leaves and a single petal of the asiatic lily.
Many thanks to Emily for a workshop that was both challenging and fun.
Here is a video link to the installation 'Five Elements, Water' created by a team of Ikebana teachers under the direction of Mr Kawana at Melbourne's National Gallery of Victoria in 2009.
Greetings from Christopher
8th September 2019
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