Flowers bloom under tutelage of Dutch florist

By Charlie Stevens

JAKARTA (JP): Well, it's that time of year when Jakarta's marbled shopping malls and diamond-studded hotel foyers burst into florid displays as the Indonesian Flower Arrangement Show kicks in.

One of the highlights of this year's show was a two-day workshop and a demonstration by one of the world's respected florists, Gary Loen, held on Thursday at Jakarta's Hotel Gran Mahakam and attended by over 100 Indonesian flower workers.

Gary is a Dutch national when it comes to flowers, upholding the virtues of his country's petals and promoting the Dutch flower arrangement industry wherever he goes. It is perhaps a surprise then to see him so far from home. As it turns out, however, Gary was not born in a field of Dutch daisies but right here in Depok, south of Jakarta, back in 1962. Despite his many sojourns to the various corners of Europe in the name of flower arranging, this is his first visit to Indonesia since leaving at the tender age of two.

"Last month, I was in Tel Aviv, Israel, to give a demonstration to the Israeli flower arrangement industry. I usually go to Moscow once a month and to Spain, Scandinavia and France," said Gary.

"But this is my first visit to Indonesia."

Gary was invited to Indonesia by Wenda Kurniawan, owner of the florist boutique Floe in Plaza Senayan. Gary's work can be seen in the shop's window display and has already garnered a lot of "oohs" and "aahs" from passersby.

On Thursday, Gary began a two-day workshop with local florists at Hotel Mahakam. On Friday he traveled to Puncak to give a workshop at Melrimba Gardens.

Gary Loen is, literally, a professional trendsetter and a sought-after consultant in the heady world of European floristry. And he hasn't earned this reputation by merely arranging flowers into pretty bunches. He designs and composes to compliment the spirit and lifestyles of the day.

Based in the Netherlands, he travels extensively throughout Europe providing arrangements for fashion shows, television presentations and magazine spreads. He has had success in a range of competitions and was the winner of the prestigious Tivoli Cup in Copenhagen, Denmark, several years ago.

But it is his originality that is most respected and he incorporates such incongruous materials as metal or dry grass, setting his arrangements in fish tanks, oddly shaped wreathes or bottles.

"I never do your basic round wreathes," said Gary. "I always try to create new shapes and new arrangements.

"I want to offer a different touch along with different values to each arrangement so that the end product is not just a bunch of flowers but an expression of the customer's desires.

"It is through the arrangement that I communicate with the customers."

Gary, who is 37, initially studied economics but had been secretly tip-toeing through the tulips since the age of 17. Eventually he gave up any pretense of being an economist and embarked on a life of blooming petals and nipping buds. He began his first flower arrangement business at the age of 23 with a small shop which he still runs in Leiden.

"I wanted to work with natural products and with my hands. And so I did and after a while people started to notice a certain style in my work and it carried on from there."

Gary is on the board of the prestigious Dutch Flower Council, which is a leading light in the dappled world of flower arranging. The Dutch Flower Council publishes a booklet each season which is an invaluable reference for florists operating on the cutting edge of style.

"Florists don't always have time to think about trends," said Gary. "So we provide a reference for them."

The Council includes experienced trendwatchers who monitor innovations in a range of industries, including interior design, the accessories market (bags, watches, wallets) and even the automobile industry to gage what is popular and what kinds of lifestyles people are choosing. The designs that appear in the council's seasonal booklet reflect these innovations.

"Trends in flower arranging really depend on the bigger picture," said Gary.

"You have to respect the details of each trend. Trends in flower arranging really compliment trends in interior design and other industries. Anything can be translated into flowers."

It's summer now in Europe and the season's style is outlined in a new summer booklet called Highlights. It showcases a range of designs using primarily Dutch flowers such as lilies, tulips and rich orchids, arranged in light airy compositions that emanate the spirit of a European summer.

"This summer we have the 'highlights' style but for later in the summer we will concentrate more on deeper organic greens," he said.

Gary's favorite flowers are tulips and orchids and he loves to combine them in various arrangements that bring out their lush potency. This can be seen in the Tulip 2000 exhibition he designed for the Dutch embassy in Paris earlier this year.

"It's quite a strange combination, I know. But I love them," he said.

But Gary is no stranger to the blooms of Indonesia and while the function of the Dutch Flower Council is to promote Dutch flowers and designers, he has always incorporated the more extravagant buds of the east.

"I am used to working with the exotic flowers of Asia but I've never had so many on hand," he said.

"When I came here it was a real surprise. It's like being in a big market with only exotic materials on offer."

In his demonstrations here, Gary is careful to combine an Indonesian style with a Dutch style.

"I think the Indonesian flower arrangement industry is still in its beginning stages but Dutch products can play a complimentary part and we can work together to develop the industry in Indonesia.

"But it's important not to push the Western style too hard. In fact I usually aim for universal designs because the flower arrangement industry is for the whole world to enjoy," he said.

"It's the emotion that flowers give you that's important; it's the joy they give you," said Gary.