mabs

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anyone go to mabs this weekend?
id love to see some photos?
p
 

pauldogx

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I was there. Great time. I'll try to post some pix tonight. I'm not a great photographer but you'll get the idea!!!
 

Bunsen

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Maba

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The Blauw's Juniper( Michel Pollack) won President's Award
Pitch Pine (TodHansen) Best in Show
Bald Cypress ( GeorgeLebolt) Exhibit Committee Award
 

R_F

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Thanks for posting the eye candy. But, I have to ask, what's with the native american dream catcher in that middle photo?
 
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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?
 

R_F

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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.
 

pauldogx

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Why Not it seems like everthing else in Bonsai (as far as the traditional guidelines are concerned) is fair game?

I think that was the point ---it was a non-traditional display. I see no problem with it---this wasn't Kokufu-ten.
 

pauldogx

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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.
 

R_F

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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.

Actually, I can judge it the way I want to. I'm the viewer ;) . As stated in the post above my preference is for a coherent display, so naturally I would judge it that way.

If one of my trees were on display I wouldn't want to display it with a distraction...doesn't matter whether or not the display is traditional. It appears as though the presenter is simply showing two things that represent them as an individual. Who is on display the tree or the owner?

You may be correct that there may be other schools of thought in Japan (care to give examples?). And it is wrong for you to assume that I am saying there isn't.

The Displays I see the most all have pieces that relate to one another. Maybe that is the most popular one?
 
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pauldogx

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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.
 

cquinn

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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.

You shouldn't have to judge by any criteria, you should be able to "know" and "feel". Then it works or it doesn't. It's not about what's in the display. Heck, it's not even about the tree. It's about how all of those things make you feel.
 

bonsaibiker

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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¢.
 

R_F

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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¢.

Breaking the "rules" just for the sake of breaking them accomplishes nothing. The dream catcher breaks rules, but really adds nothing to the tree.
 

irene_b

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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)
 
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R_F

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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)

Glad you liked it.

I too have American Indian ancestory...but it doesn't mean that I would want to display Native American Items with my bonsai and to me doesn't justify displaying a dream catcher (which is not universal to all Native American Tribes nor anyone else) with a bonsai. The Japanese traditions that I am familiar with use items that can be universally translated to evoke a scene. Dream catchers mean something to a relatively small part of american society that are "in the know".

When the word "tradition" is used in reference to bonsai it usually implies Japanese tradition. "American" bonsai hasn't been around long enough to have any tradition. So for now we borrow from the Japanese. And to me that's not a bad thing at all. They have perfected bonsai as well as their display and I predict that if bonsai in america continues to progress and its artists continue to experiment with style and display of trees that they will arrive at the same "rules" as the japanese have....maybe just interpreted through american eyes.
 
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R_F

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Those who break free of the "rules" eventually develop their own (and usually look like a re-vamped version of the rules they broke free of)....and then they are seen as "traditional" by the generations to come. Tradition is not a bad thing.
 
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