Plus

Plus

Ikebana: The meditative art form
The members of the Shi-en Ikebana and Floral Art Society will hold their annual flower arrangement exhibition on May 23 and 24 at the Atrium Hall of the Colombo Plaza from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Japanese ambassador Akio Suda and Madam Suda will declare the exhibition open, at 11 a.m. today.

Proceeds from this exhibition will be used for purchasing essential equipment to be donated to children suffering from Thalassaemia. There will be over 90 exhibits of Ikebana and western style arrangements. Demonstrations in the art of Ikebana and western flower arranging will be held at 5 p.m. on each day.

The Shi-en Ikebana and Floral Art Society, formed in 1991, has over 100 members, most of whom will be participating at this exhibition. There will be many novel and creative flower arrangements incorporating driftwood, roots, stones, bark and natural dried material.

While a painting is an expression of art drawn on a canvas with a brush, Ikebana is an expression in three dimensions composed of plant materials arranged in a vase. A flower or tree looks perfectly beautiful blooming in its natural environment. Ikebana springs from a response to the beauty and infinite variety of natural plant forms, a recognition of the strength, delicacy and ephemeral quality of the living flowers and branches that it uses.

It can be a pastime, but for many, Ikebana becomes an absorbing study leading to a deeper insight into an understanding of life, its contradictions and their resolution in recognition and acceptance.

Arranging Ikebana begins with careful observation of the plant materials. Anyone can learn to do Ikebana. It must be approached receptively without trying too hard. One begins by looking at the flowers and the branches, noticing their shape, the way they grow, how they absorb or reflect light; feeling the strength and flexibility of the branches in one's hand; breathing in their scent; recognizing and responding to their uniqueness so that one will be able to show this in the arrangement. One lets the floral material 'speak' to one, let the right side of the brain come into play so that one is in touch with one's own creativity. In this regard, Ikebana is a form of meditation.

Festival of Flowers XI - 'Rhyme Rhythm and Blooms' presented by The Shi-en Ikebana and Floral Art Society of Sri Lanka is sponsored by The Colombo Plaza and SriLankan Airlines.

Back to Plus