An exciting experience exhibiting in the 96th Annual Sogetsu Exhibition, Tokyo

With a sense in trepidation yet the desire to achieve a higher goal with my art work, I submitted an application to exhibit in the 96th Annual Sogetsu Exhibition.

Part one was to complete expressions of interest followed a short while later with the details:- dimensions, materials and position of work, plus a coloured sketch of the design.

The theme for this year’s exhibition was ‘Set things you cannot see’ taken from the writings of Sofu Teshigahara (founder of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana); the saying goes on to say ‘there are things in our heart, which are invisible’.

I wanted to give my exhibit a feeling of where I source my ideas which mainly comes my own garden. Living in an area where lightening often strikes the eucalyptus trees resulting in the trees partially exploding leaving shattered trunks and branches. I could see or rather interpreted in my heart the power it must take to shatter such majestic trees. I set about trying to show the power of the explosion and the red being the heat from the energy and the green foliage representing the tree being alive.

My next challenge was ‘can I get the material to Tokyo’? After hours spent studying the Japanese customs requirements I discovered I was allowed dried dead material – no soil, roots, seeds or anything for propagation was permitted. With ten kilos of branch material in my luggage along with all my tools I was ready to get to work.

The night before installation I reviewed all the work double-checking and drilling a few additional holes here and there in preparation for the following night. Packed and ready to exhibit I arrived at Takashimaya, Nihombashi. Like a well precision clock all exhibitors set about working completing setup within the given three hours. Shaking and feeling the heat as well as the pressure I finished with a short time to spare, I stood back feeling proud of my achievement because it was exactly how I had envisaged the work was to look.

My experience was something I will treasure and I thank family and friends for supporting me to achieve my goal. I often think of the saying ‘Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore’, I now feel I have discovered a new shore and want to share the joys I have experienced.