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An ikebana presentation attempted to portray the nine facets of the history and culture of Andhra Pradesh.
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FLOWER POWER: An effective medium of communication.
SAY IT with flowers... they are used in myriad ways to communicate one's feelings, thoughts and wishes. For a change, flowers were used in a different way - to commemorate the formation of the State of Andhra Pradesh. Shizen presented `View Ikebana: Nine Facets of Andhra'. This live floral confluence by Revathi Macherla and Ayako Ogino at Shilpa Kala Vedika on November 1 threw light on art, history (heritage and culture), crafts (textiles), history (art and literature), geography (seasons and other aspects), religion and music, festivals, tribals and hi-tech land through the art of ikebana. Exotic flowers, good music and effective lighting combined to represent the State in this audio-visual.
The programme opened with a dance presented by Anupama Kylash and party against the backdrop of simple, low-lying flower arrangements mostly of white flowers and green foliage. Then Ayako Ogino (an expert in floral conceptions) took centre stage where she remained practically throughout meticulously working on arrangements then and there with her nimble artistic fingers. While Ayako went about her art against the backdrop of some good lighting and music there were models who sashayed the ramp wearing Andhra textiles and Nizam era jewellery and costumes.
IN STATE: Exotic flowers, good music and effective lighting combined to represent the State
A terracotta horse placed in the centre was the main focus of attention. Ayako kept the floral tempo alive by arranging flowers and foliage at the back of the horse. A lyrical experience was created by this Japanese woman as she went on tirelessly to create new arrangements or complete unfinished ones unruffled by the other movements on stage.
The presentation tried to depict the historical, cultural and geographical heritage of the State on a minimalist scale. The depictions by themselves did not convey the desired information. The synopsis presented at the beginning and during the sections helped in understanding what was supposed to be conveyed. Also besides the delayed start (which is not new to Hyderabad) the compering left much to be desired. Proper coordination on the part of the compere could have ensured better synchronisation. Some of the sections could have done with the presentation of a few slides particularly on the historical monuments (when the Kakatiya fort and temples were spoken about).
The show was a good attempt no doubt but a rather difficult one - trying as it did to fuse flowers with the history and culture of a State in an asymmetric fashion. It is certainly difficult to portray such a vast canvas through a simple medium of flowers. However, one should laud Ayako and Revathi for taking much pain in organising this presentation.
RADHIKA RAJAMANI
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