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| A Sogetsu floral art arrangement by Vickie Yap |
Sogetsu, the most popular among the
schools of ikebana, was presented in a floral art show at the DoubleTree
by Hilton Johor Baru hotel
recently. Organised by the Johor Baru
Sogetsu Study Group of Ikebana
International Johor Baru (IIJB), Chapter 235, the group aims to promote the art
of Sogetsu to youths as well as for public appreciation.
Ikebana has several schools that follow
a particular set of rules and arrangement techniques with the more popular
being Sogetsu, Ohara, Ikenobo, Koryu, Ryuseiha and Ichiyo schools of ikebana.
IIJB members study ikebana or the art
of Japanese flower arrangement from experienced instructors as well as visiting
flower masters. The key consideration in ikebana is to
use as few plant materials as possible to compose an elegant arrangement that
follows a fixed pattern of a triangle with three points that represent Heaven,
Earth and Man. The emphasis is on linear
perfection, colour, harmony, space and form, and the choice of plant materials
is guided by the artist’s desire to create harmony between the materials and
the vessels used.
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| Laila Hendra with her floral art arrangement |
The Sogetsu floral art show was
declared open by Charter President YAM Tunku Shahariah bte Almarhum Tuanku
Abdul Rahman and the Sogetsu Study Group chairperson
and instructor, Shirley Cheah in a simple ribbon-cutting ceremony. The
spacious hotel lobby was an ideal setting as it provided ample opportunity for the
Study Group students to exhibit their floral art for the appreciation of hotel
guests and visitors.
Sogetsu Study Group students meet twice
a week for lessons that follow ikebana textbooks and take examinations to
qualify before going on to the next grade.
This study group is guided by Cheah, an accomplished Sogetsu
practitioner who has been a student of a Riji Master of Sogetsu and President
of the Sogetsu Association of Singapore, Mrs Kazue Kato Kim, since 2007 and she
also receives advice from Komon Master of Sogetsu, Christopher Lim. Cheah, who is also a past president of IIJB,
instructs students through workshops and demonstrations.
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| Shirley Chew [Left] and Tunku Shahariah cutting the ribbon to open the Sogetsu Study Group floral art exhibition |
“Sogetsu designs have extra charm because the
materials used come from the garden and they can be arranged in a simple bowl
or an elaborate vase,” said Cheah who explained that the Sogetsu school of
ikebana only uses fresh flowers and work with three main lines to create
beautiful designs.
Cheah said that Sogetsu is a sculptural work of art
created from abstract material to form an arrangement with unique
characteristics for floral design. This
art of flower arrangement encourages the use of recycled material and all kinds
of natural material like dried wood or branches that can creatively be used as
structures. “In fact, bare twigs, branches
and bushes are a never-ending source of shapes that can be used for interesting
Sogetsu arrangements,” she added.
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| Wong sisters, Phoebe, Gloria and Sofia [Left to Right] were among the junior floral art students who exhibited their arrangements in the hotel lobby |
Encouraged to use dried natural material, many of the impressive
arrangements by the Study Group students on display were created with unique
shapes and material.
Cheah, who is also promoting floral art
to young people and students, dedicated a
section of the exhibition to floral art designs by young students including
those by the Wong sisters Sofia,
15, Phoebe, 13, and Gloria, 10. The launch
event ended with a floral art demonstration by Cheah.
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| Tunku Shahariah [seated] with some Sogetsu Study Group members and invited guests at the event |
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| A range of interesting floral art arrangements at the Sogetsu Study Group exhibition |
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| Shirley Chew [Right] presenting a floral art demonstration at the event |
A version of this article was published in The New Straits Times, Streets Johor on 9 Oct 2014
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