Slender coconut husk-straws and coconut fronds, fragile plantain shoots and massive flowers, ficus and banyan branches, Calotropis, better known as the ‘popping’ plant; Gulmohar pods, leaves of lily, betel nut, Murraya, Casuarina, Philodendron, — these flowers and foliage adorned the Ikebana arrangements at a recent exhibition at the Lalit Kala Akademi.
The exhibits were beautifully arranged in an array of traditional cooking pans, pickle jars, copper and terracotta pots, perforated bricks, coconut shells and dry coconut fronds; traditional fibre scrubs, and even in hollows etched out by nature on driftwood.
This year, the beautiful and evocative Japanese art of Ikebana took on a delightful Chennai avatar, courtesy the Chennai Sogetsu Study Group. Celebrating the 375th anniversary of the city’s existence, the group let their annual show emphasise on plants indigenous to this region and those that have now been localised.
Each of the 65 arrangements exhibited was created using local material. There was even an elaborate arrangement spanning over five feet that narrated a street scene.
As a rule, Ikebana practitioners employ their art to essay emotions, tell a story, or make a statement. This particular exhibition celebrated not just Chennai’s flora but also its unique icons to demonstrate how you can adapt local material to create the same sensibilities that the Japanese art is known for.
