How do you express your adaptability to the new era and your indigenousness in your personal practice and in your teaching at Ikaiki Ikebana?
Grasping the essence of flower art, especially how to genuinely interact with flowers, frees us from rigid notions and the exclusive use of Japanese blooms. Once we understand this, we begin to sense the spirit within each flower, specific to its region and environment. When this spirit engages with our own, arrangements with a native quality arise organically.
This also applies to time. Each floral creation exists in a distinct space, shaped by its context, its setting, its materials. Allowing these elements to flow naturally gives rise to unique works, each one a quiet reflection of the time in which it was born.
With the wonderful benefits of Ikebana in terms of perception, creativity, aesthetics, and rituals, does your training programme consider targeting young people to train them?
In Vietnam, Ikebana classes have been quietly contributing to the cultural landscape for some time, spreading appreciation for the beauty of floral art. I still personally arrange flowers and share what I’ve learned with my peers. That, I believe, is the most natural way for Ikebana to grow.
Teaching children is a long-term aspiration I continue to hold. Ikebana does more than teach floral techniques. It nurtures perception, sharpens aesthetic judgement, inspires creativity, and more deeply, it teaches us how to live, how to see.
Read more: Photographer Alexandre Garel and his journey to preserve disappearing Vietnamese structures