Our end of the year workshop was led by our talented member Maude Freymond Wanner who is also an artist in her own right.

This workshop was inspired by the works exhibited for an inauguration of her friend’s company Be WRT (based in Switzerland) which creates filtration systems, so that Tap water can be safely drinkable, and replaces the use of PET bottles to support a cleaner future through responsible choices. Maude and her ikebana friend and teacher Ines Massin were working and playing with glass containers, coloured pebbles and pet bottles in addition to the so-often fascination of magnifying effects of water in glass, which all came about to be an attractive concept for this inaugural exhibition.

Maude invited members at the workshop to be curious about this concept and working with unconventional materials which is one of Sogetsu school’s differentiation compared to other Ikebana schools as it contributes to pushing the boundaries of creativity. She also showed us how to prepare and cut PET bottles to create different shapes and reminded us to always wear gloves when using a cutter to effectively slit PET bottles. This demonstration has helped her to look at materials that she would have previously thrown away without noticing the beauty of them, for example spray bottles, and many more.

You will notice some of her Ikebana she gave a title which was an outcome of the concept by using materials like coloured bottles, a high-heeled shoe, silk paper which create a likeness of the piece that she named. We thank Maude tremendously for showing this interesting concept and inspiring us all to produce creative unconventional Ikebana.