Workshop teaches how to say it with flowers
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
I hide myself within my flower, That wearing on your breast, You, unsuspecting, wear me too, And angels know the rest.
For centuries flowers have become the vessel for people's emotions, and Emily Dickinson was no exception. Trapped in a prudish Victorian society, Dickinson discreetly expressed her love through a boutonniere, as described in the poem With a Flower.
As emotions become more complex, the flowers created to express them also becomes more intricate. Bouquets, wreaths, garlands and corsages, were created with an array of flowers that are poetry in themselves.
Soon flowers were no longer simple arrangements set in a vase but a multi-billion-dollar industry with fashionable trends of its own.
However, all this is very much concentrated in countries such as Germany, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Japan, Italy, and Switzerland, where the population has the necessary disposable income.
The Newline Floral Education Center together with the Indonesian Flowers Association (Asbindo) is trying to introduce new trends of floral arrangements to Indonesians by organizing a two-day workshop and competition next week.
The workshop will showcase the expertise and talents of Gregor Lersch from Germany, who is considered as one of the most important designers in international floristry.
Lersch will demonstrate 16 floral "sculptures", including by using natural resources other than flowers such as leaves, roots, grasses, and fruits. Lersch's principal is to bring nature to home.
Gone are the days when large bouquets of roses, tulips, chrysanthemums, and lilies are the norm. Today's floral arrangement trends include all parts of a plant, whether they be stems, leaves, buds, or even roots.
"It has taken the form of craftswork rather than simply arranging different flowers in a vase," Teresa Maria Ineke, marketing and operational director of Newline, said recently.
And new forms of floral foams in the market today help liberate the designer's choice of vases used in arrangements. Open-mouthed containers such as bowls and even low rimmed plates can now be used, as well as vases with narrow openings.
"Trend is trend, there's no knowing how well it will be received here. Nevertheless we will continue to introduce to people what are the current world trends," Newline's education director, Andy Djati Utomo, said.
Watching Ineke and Andy immersed in one of their creations, is like watching a master sculptor at work.
Their skillful hands nimbly manipulate celosias, rudbecias, and tillansia grasses. Flower stems are combined with tendrils, crowns stripped to highlight the eye of the flower, leaves perforated with grasses.
The result was a unique "sculpture" fit to be a centerpiece or even a focal point of a room.
Besides the workshop, Newline and Asbindo are also organizing the Indonesian Floristic Trend Competition to try to flesh out future generations of floral trendsetters.
The competition, held next Monday at Atlet Century Hotel in South Jakarta, will be divided into two classes, amateur and professional.
"The professional class will be those with at least five years experience in floral arrangement," Andy said, adding that professionals may bring their own vases.
For a Rp 500,000 administration fee, the organizers will provide all the materials needed and participants only need to bring their own tools.
"We want to see how creative they can be with the material we provide them," Ineke said.
Workshop with Gregor Lersch will take place on Sept. 24 and Sept. 25, at Golden Ballroom, Jakarta Hilton International Hotel. The workshop costs Rp 1,750,000 for two days, and participants will receive a certificate. For more information call 7976442, 7976445.