Melbourne Ikebana Festival, 29 and 30 August 2026ikebanafestival.com

Wednesday, 26 August 2015

Sunday, 23 August 2015


Tuesday, 18 August 2015

Monday, 17 August 2015

Thursday, 13 August 2015

Branch Sculpture: Japanese Aesthetics at RMIT University


Our students analysed works by Andy Goldsworthy and Hiroshi Teshigahara, and created their own works using branches on the fifth week.  This class will take participants on a journey to explore the theory of Japanese aesthetics through practical exercises.  

Japanese Aesthetics: From Ikebana to Contemporary Art 
Shoso Shimbo, PhD
RMIT University Short Course
New intake in October 2015
http://bit.ly/1hz7BTb

http://www.shoso.com.au
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Wednesday, 12 August 2015

Daily Meditation: Japanese Mahonia


The volume and position of Japanese Mahonia is crucial in this work. Its yellow buds function to emphasise the dominant vertical movement without disturbing the movements of the curved leaves. The yellow dots also correspond to the four tops of the green stems cut sharply. The essence of traditional Rikka style was appropriated in this contemporary design.

http://www.shoso.com.au
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Monday, 10 August 2015



Sunday, 9 August 2015

Saturday, 8 August 2015

Thursday, 6 August 2015


Ikebana for a Hen's Party


LOOKING FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR A HEN’S PARTY?

A recent client hired a function room at a cafe and combined an Ikebana Workshop with Afternoon Tea to celebrate her Hen’s Party. Everybody there thought it was so relaxing and a great idea which they thoroughly enjoyed.

So, if you are looking for something different for a Hen’s Party, contact Shoso Shimbo and he can show you some examples of his work with flowers and how to find relaxation and create a warm and vital atmosphere among the participants which will help lead to a memorable wedding.



Tuesday, 4 August 2015

Ikebana Today 38


To answer the question, "Is Ikebana art?", we need to look into the history
of Ikebana as well as that of art in the 20th century. When and how did they
interact in that century? While it is relatively easy to overview the
history of Ikebana, the history of art seems to be so chaotic.

I found contemporary art and its history are very hard to comprehend. In
particular the Japanese literature on the topic is difficult to
comprehend. Why do they have to be like that? Maybe because they are talking about something they don't really understand?

Fortunately, a number of great introductory books on contemporary art have
been recently published. I guess that many people must have felt the same
way about the literature on the contemporary art. One of the books I liked
was "Why Is That Art?" by Terry Barrett, Oxford U.P. (2012). From the
reading of the book, I will summarise the history of art briefly in the next
issue.

This small work is a good example of assembling different plant materials in
harmony. The process of making it was a true meditation. I'm going to use
this image for my free calendars for next year. Please download them for
free from my website. You can also read my articles published in Living Now
for free online. Lastly, please check the results of the Ikebana Gallery Award 2015 in my site.


http://www.shoso.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/ikebanaaustralia