Reflections 2013 ‘Living Images’

by Shanti Fernando

The Sri Lanka Bonsai Association will hold its annual exhibition Reflections 2013 – Living Images at the National Art Gallery from October 4 to 6 from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm. The opening ceremony and the award presentation will be held at 11 am on October 4. The Ambassador for Japan in Sri Lanka Nobuhito Hobo will be the chief guest.

Attractive Bonsai creations

The Association was formed to promote the art of Bonsai as a hobby in Sri Lanka and has held a number of successful exhibitions in the past. One of the main aims of Bonsai is to stimulate friendship and bring peace through the common bond of love and beauty.

Suiseki and Bonsai

The artistic and poetic combination of Suiseki and Bonsai creates a true work of art. The combination adds life to the Suiseki and Strength to the Bonsai. And to both, a sense of timeless beauty is added. Suiseki and Bonsai are important to each other. Suiseki represents a taste of waterside in a condensed way, just as Bonsai represents forests and groves in a pot.

What is Bonsai? Bonsai (bon-tray and sai-tree) is a tree in a shallow tray. It is a living art which needs horticultural attention and is a miniature replica of a tree in nature. What is Suiseki? Suiseki (sui-water and seki-stone) is the Japanese name for miniature, naturally formed stones that have the power and beauty to suggest a scene from nature or object closely associated with nature.

They are also known as ‘Viewing Stones’ and ‘Scholar Stones'.The Suiseki is the comprehension and the appreciation of nature through a stone, resulting from nature. It is the study and enjoyment of naturally formed stones as objects of beauty. The art of Suiseki involves the collection, preparation and appreciation of unaltered naturally formed stones. These stones are found in mountain streams, on windblown deserts, along ocean beaches – anywhere that nature may have deposited or shaped them.

Suiseki must have the five factors such as shape, material, colour, texture, and age.

The shape should be a reflection of something in nature. The material should be hard and dense, and it is better if it can maintain a moist look after watering.

Black, brown and purple coloured stones are preferred. In addition, if the fine texture has natural holes, unevenness, folds and lines, these too add to the beauty of a Suiseki.

And “aged” stone is highly valued. The most important aspect of a Suiseki is its ancient look. Suiseki is popular where the interest in Bonsai has flourished. The reason for the fascination of Suiseki lies in its physical beauty. uiseki and Bonsai should be in harmony and its combination should enhance the feeling and aesthetics of each other. It should always follow nature, reflect the spirit of its full-size counterparts and suggest natural forms with simplicity.