IKEBANA projects Manifesto
What is Ikebana?
Ikebana is… cutting space with flowers*.
It is a spatial art form that dates back to the 7th century. Ikebana transforms the environment letting the viewer experience the surreal. It is a particular space that ikebana forms a dialogue with. In fact ikebana is responsible for creating MA 間, an invisible negative space, an artistic vision of emptiness that we feel through a combination of lines, shapes and the flow of energy.
This deep appreciation of line and shape rooted in the Japanese aesthetics makes it impossible to be satisfied with randomly sticking flowers into a vase. The essence of Ikebana – the expression of beauty through natural materials - depends upon the person creating the composition. After all, “Ikebana is not so much a question of flowers as of people” [1].
Ikebana is not eternal, on the contrary, often it is in full power for just a single moment. This art form undoubtedly stems from the Buddhist practice of setting an offering of flowers. But with time its purely religious significance gradually disappeared. Derived from its divine attributions ikebana gained popularity among the nobility and by the 16th century had become one of the most popular arts of the warrior class, at that point practiced almost exclusively by man.
Focus, strength and attention to details formed part of an ikebana meditation for the warriors but today it is practiced without any gender restraint. In the course of time ikebana evolved and modernised but this unique art form has always kept its roots in two opposites – “the love of regular form and the desire to escape it” [2].
Today ikebana goes beyond an ancient tradition of the flower arrangement emphasizing the necessity to create forms using materials from nature. The range of the materials is really vast, as ikebana shows not only the beauty of a freshly bloomed flower but also decay. It is a lifecycle, a story that changes its relationship with the space and the viewer with time.
Ikebana is a form of artistic expression that has served an inspiration through continents and cultures and more so today finds its presence in contemporary art and culture. “To create is to live. As we fully comprehend this relationship between creativity and our daily lives ikebana becomes more and more interesting to us” [3]. Sharing the joy of appreciating beauty with people around you is something that is hard to overestimate in the modern times.
* Quote by Yuko Masaki, Ikebana Professor at Seijo University, Tokyo.
Quotes by Sofu Teshigahara [1], [2] and Hiroshi Teshigahara [3].