A serendipitous blooming of creativity

Exotic flower arrangements bring East, West together:

Suharshi Perera

Druki Martenstyn

The exotic floral arrangements rising from all sides of the hall invite you to a world of serendipity where blossoming splendours cast a spell to banish your sorrows and soothe the mind.

Serendipity - the Ikebana and Western style floral arrangement exhibition staged at the Taj Samudra Hotel on May 3 and 4 by the Shi-en Ikebana and Floral Art Society took visitors by surprise, promising them a world of wonders and a spring of joy. A refreshing feeling hung in the air as the exquisite floral wonders reflected a setting of serenity, joy and relaxation.

Women of all walks of life who have a passion for flower arrangements came together to invoke 'Serendipity'. The term itself is synonymous with our beautiful country. So the theme this time was to create anything that is part of Sri Lanka, President of the Shi-en Ikebana and Floral Art Society Druki Martenstyn noted.

The breathtaking beauty of the flowers blended with different thoughts and moods of designers who moulded them to bring out a sense of serendipity. Each creation portrayed an individualistic approach towards nature and life while portraying an unseen dimension of the existing world.

The design titled Avurudu Kumarai

"Flowers are a universal language. They are related to different feelings and thoughts. So it can be a mode of communication and a bridge to bring peace and harmony to our country by breaking down all barriers placed between us," she added.

Floral creations by many women irrespective of divisions were on display at the exhibition. The designs were done on two lines; Ikebana- the Japanese style flower arrangements and Western style flower arrangements.

Ikebana style is centered on spirituality. In this form of arrangements, three angles are indicated by three basic stems. These stems denote heaven (shin), man (soe) and earth (hikae), explains Mallika Cooke, a teacher of Sogetsu-the traditional Japanese school of Ikebana.

"These three components are very important in Ikebana as those create the universe. Heaven relates to past, man to present and earth to the future. Anything that is available in nature belongs to one of these and even gnarled roots of trees are used in Ikebana designs as it tells the story of the past," Cooke elaborates.

The basic Ikebana arrangements are set in the upright direction and measurements are very important.

But the patterns are ever changing. Now the trend is horizontal lines which means stems are placed horizontally.

Another important rule in Ikebana is to cut the stems in water. "It helps the stems absorb enough water," the Ikebana artist said. Spacing between the stems is also another golden rule. "Space means quiet time for meditation. Space in between the branches is essential for butterflies to move around and the breeze to pass through".

This art form totally aligns with nature. Unlike in Western arrangements, no artificial wires or tapes are used in the traditional arrangements. The leaves of the same tree are used to tie the stems and so on. And Ikebana is not based solely on flowers but anything can be used. So it is a very inexpensive art that anyone can try out, she said.

Another floral arrangement

Arrangement done using spices and kitchen utensils. Pictures by Ruwan de Silva

"In Ikebana you don't force the flowers or the material to turn or wriggle. You learn to accept the way things are and to come to terms with life. It also soothes and clears your mind like meditation," she observed. Ikebana is associated with purity. All the material used for the arrangements should be properly cleaned before bringing those inside the house.

Japanese are very particular about cleanliness and even the water used for the arrangements should be fresh and clean, she said.

Western style arrangements also blossomed at the event winning many hearts. Western style arrangements depict fullness and flowers are mostly used. However, now this trend is gradually mixed with the oriental form creating a form of fusion arrangement, said an expert on Western arrangements.

"In Western arrangements, measurements are not very important. It is all visual. With fusion arrangements coming in we do not see cluttered flowers. Now it is mostly bloc arranging where similar colours are grouped on one side without mixing around. Shades of one colour or contrasting colours are also trendy," she said. Arrangements for different corners of the house were showcased at the event.

Floral based arrangements can be placed in the living room and bed rooms while arrangements done with rough material like roots and stones would add more beauty to a verandah or courtyard. There were arrangements for the dining table and kitchen too with a tinge of spice and taste.

Citrus delight

Western style dining table arrangement

You will need:
A round shaped stand (for a round dining table)
A foam( to absorb and retain water)
A piece of wire mesh
Pins
Candles of the shape of orange
halves and lemon halves
Limes and/or oranges cut into halves
Leaves (any type of leaves that blends
with lime)
Flowers (yellow or orange colour)
Method:
Place the stand on the table and place the foam inside it. Put some water and let the foam absorb it. Spread the mesh on top of the structure and pin it neatly to the foam with pins.

Place orange and lime candles in a block and lime halves on the side of the structure for fragrance. Then decorate with leaves and flowers. Do not scatter the flowers. Light the candles once the table is set.
This is a flat arrangement which has to be viewed from above. Dinning table arrangements should not be disturbing to the eye and block the view of the table.