LOOK WHAT WE DID!

Lucy and I have been working on this project since November last year and, finally, we can unveil it.

We were commissioned to do a permanent, sculptural installation against a wall of a newly-built apartment complex in Northcote. This was both exciting and challenging as neither of us had done anything like this before.

There were a number of problems for which we had to find solutions. The first was the dimensions of the site. It is 7 metres long but only 60 cm deep, so our design had to be almost vertical. This is where our ikebana training came to the fore. We used stainless steel poles through alucobond (the blue material), which we tilted, giving the impression of greater depth than we had.

Our second consideration was how to make it safe and strong enough to be in a public space, so we chose stainless steel and alucobond, a type of cladding material. We spent a great deal of time on the mechanics that would hold the whole structure in the right position whilst the concrete was poured around it and then set. However, and this may be hard to believe, the most difficult problem we had to solve was the correct position of the holes in the alucobond for the poles to go through. In the process of solving all these problems, we learnt a great deal, making any possible subsequent project easier. Oh, and I should add that our clients are very happy with the result.

Because it is so difficult to photograph, I thought I would try using a video here. I'm not very confident with technology but here goes!

OK, so once I published this post I discovered that the video will only play on my lap top, not on my iPad or my phone. So I apologize to those of you who may not be able to see it.

Back to class now. The theme I set the senior students was a combination of Book 4 lesson 2 - 'With leaves only' and Book 4 lesson 13 - 'Dried, Bleached or coloured material.'

Lucy used 1 strelitzia nicolai dried leaf and 3 green strlitzia reginae leaves

Vicky used 1 dried agave and 1 fresh
gymea leaf

Bredenia used strelitzia juncea leaves with
dried strelitzia nicolai leaves

I used 2 fresh birds nest ferns and 2 dried aspidistra
leaves.

'Vegetables and/or Fruits in an Arrangement' - Nicole and I had similar ideas, using square glass containers

Nicole used squash and figs with a wisteria vine 

I used cherry tomatoes, an egg plant and
a snake bean

By the way, I'm preparing for my trip to Okinawa for the Ikebana International World Convention. I plan to take part in the exhibition and I have the honour of being asked to be one of the member demonstrators, the thought of which is both exciting and daunting. Also, I'm looking forward to meeting any of you that will be attending. If you recognize me, I would be delighted if you would come and say hello.

Until next time,

Emily