painter
Mame
anyone go to mabs this weekend?
id love to see some photos?
p
id love to see some photos?
p
Bergen Bonsai Society has posted some picture. http://www.bergenbonsai.netfirms.comanyone go to mabs this weekend?
id love to see some photos?
p
Thanks for posting the eye candy. But, I have to ask, what's with the native american dream catcher in that middle photo?
Why Not it seems like everthing else in Bonsai (as far as the traditional guidelines are concerned) is fair game?
Why Not it seems like everthing else in Bonsai (as far as the traditional guidelines are concerned) is fair game?
I guess I'm more of a Japanese Traditionalist. Items that are displayed according to those guidelines are meant to evoke a scene that is unified. Whether shitakusa, figurines, suiseki, or scrolls are used they all work together to create the impression of a scene.
In this case the dream catcher doesn't work for me. All I see is a nice bonsai and a random dream catcher that means nothing to the tree. It has no relation to the tree. With a traditional display all the objects displayed with the tree relate to it in some way.
If it was presented as a traditional display--then it could be judged as such. It wasn't presented that way --therefore you can't judge it by traditional "rules".
I think its wrong to assume the Japanese think in a monolithic way about display. There are many schools of display in Japan as well.
I didn't meant to imply that you in particular were assuming anything Ryan. I just meant that in general we here in the USA naturally tend to look at the Japanese traditions in a monolithic fashion.
Of course you are free to view it as you wish. I agree with you--I dont think it works.
I still think though if you present it as a traditional tokonoma display--it has to judged by those criteria.
You can't really apply those same criteria to a display that was not presented as such.
I think the dream catcher makes the display one of the coolest I have seen. I like when someone thinks outside the box and breaks with tradition. Apparently others at the show must have liked it also since it won an award. Personally, I am not a big fan of all the rules and traditions in Bonsai. I wish more people would follow their own path instead of worrying what the Japanese traditionalists would think about it. When I see something different like this among all the "traditional Bonsai" it catches my eye. Just my 2¢.
To Me the Dream Catcher with the Bonsai evokes a very peaceful tranquil setting.
Non traditional to whom?
I am American Indian.
We are American not Japanese why wouldn't our traditions be a part of the display?
The Dream Catcher is made of wood, sinew, feathers.
It captures bad dreams in the web protecting us in our sleep.
Wood is the circle which is our home (planet).
Sinew is the animal including mankind (animals are our brothers and sisters).
Feathers is from the mighty birds (spirit guides in our dreams) who fly above us and build nests in the trees (also our eyes above ground).
Perhaps Americans need to remember the traditions of our Country and learn to incorporate our history as the Japanese have done with their displays (scrolls).
Irene
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamcatcher_(Native_American)