Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show

 

Hello all,

Last week was the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS). A big event in the Melbourne callender, with local exhibitors and guests, as well as from interstate and overseas.

Since 2007 I have exhibited almost every year on my own (except for the help from my family) in the Shop Window Competition. This year I took a break from that because I wasn't up to it, physically. However, I agreed to do the Sogetsu component of the Ikebana International Exhibit together with Lucy. The two of us work well as a team and have a similar aesthetic, making for a harmonious collaboration. The photograph, above, is of our installation.

Our theme was 'Sustainable and Local'. We all tried to use materials that were found or were used before. In our case three of the palm pods that we used had been left at my doorstep by our cousin Nick, having fallen from his palm trees.The others I had in my storeroom. Some of them had been used before. There is a very heavy, stainless steel rod with a square base inside the vertical pod holding everything up. I bought it a couple of years ago at a metal recycling outlet, thinking that it would come in handy some day and it did.

Below is the Ikebana International  exhibit comprising of installations by the five schools. You will notice the yellow chrysanthemums, being the common element linking the very disparate arrangements

Ikenobo School 

Shogetsudo Koryu School

Ichiyo School

Ohara School (I apologise for the poor quality of the backdrop)

We were very proud to receive a silver medal in our category. On Wednesday morning we had an informal meeting in front of our site attended by a number of people, where each team leader gave a brief speech explaining how they interpreted the theme of 'Sustainability and Local'. We were honoured by a visit of the Japanese Consul General and his wife, Mr and Mrs Shimada and Mr Michael Warner, Chairman of MIFGS.

Bye for now,

Emily