Bonsai Northwest Melbourne

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1 Established: 1973 A-19332L In this Issue: Next Meeting Coming Events BNW Committee 2019 Hanh s Workshop Last Meeting Sponsors Zen Aesthetics Bonsai Northwest Melbourne November 2018 Newsletter Next meeting 5 November Workshop PLEASE NOTE MEETING DATE MONDAY 5 NOVEMBER Due to conflict in booking dates, we are holding our meeting night on the Monday before the Melbourne Cup. Sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. This month we ll be having a workshop night. Just a reminder on how workshops are conducted: if you bring along your tree, remember to bring your own tools and wire so that you can work on your tree once the experienced person or designated helper has given you instructions/ideas/advice on what to do. The Library will be open from 7.00pm and will close at 8.00pm. Remember it is FREE to borrow from the library, however if you are late returning the items then you will be charged a $2 late fee. Club Details bonsainorthwest@hotmail.com PO Box 1091 Niddrie Victoria 3042 President: David Nassar Contact: Barry Meetings are held at the Aberfeldie Community Club, 7B Batman St Essendon at 7:30pm on the first Monday of the month (no meeting in January) Social Media Click on icon to access: Coming Events Ballarat Bonsai Society Inc. Exhibition 3-4 November 2018, Robert Clarke Centre, Ballarat Botanical Gardens Goldfields Bonsai Society Exhibition 3-4 November 2018, Botanical Gardens, Froomes Road, Castlemaine bonsai_northwest Geelong Bonsai Show November 2018, Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 10am-4pm. Geelong Masonic Centre, Regent St, Belmont Adults $5, Concession $3, Children accompanied by adult FREE YVBS Sale Day 18 November 2018, Sunday 10am-1pm, Wandin North Public Hall, Warburton Hwy Cnr Clegg Rd (on the roundabout) next to the Sporting Ground in Wandin North

2 BNW Committee 2019 At the December AGM, all committee positions become vacant. Any Club member may nominate for the committee. It's your club so get involved and contribute. Don't leave all the work to just a few. Nominations must be on the official Nomination Form (attached to the ) and must be received before the December AGM. Some of the main incentives of being on the committee is the private committee workshops held throughout the year, gaining insights in the running of the club and getting access to contacts in the industry. Please contact David or Barry and we can help you fill out the relevant paperwork. Hope to see some new faces on the committee in Hanh s Bend & Twist Pine Workshop For the first time anywhere, Hanh conducted his bend and twist Japanese black pine workshops at our club. Twenty of our members wired each of their trees and watched Hanh s technique first hand as he twisted and bent their trees into unique shapes. Thank you to Hanh and Barry for making the workshops happen and a great success.

3 Last meeting David Allen visited us with a truckload of collected bonsai stock. He took us through his approach to working with collected material. There was heaps of great stock to purchase on the night as well. His demonstration was a follow up to our clubs visit to David's nursery earlier in the year. Hope you all enjoyed the demonstration. Sponsors: Ology.net.au - Damian

4 Zen Aesthetics 7 Japanese Aesthetic Principles by Ian Barnes Here are seven design-related principles (there are more) that govern the aesthetics of the Japanese garden and other art forms in Japan. The principles are interconnected and overlap. Perhaps they will stimulate your creativity or get you thinking in a new way about your own bonsai design-related challenges. 1. Kanso ( 簡素 ) simplicity, elimination of clutter Things are expressed in a plain, simple, natural manner. This reminds us to think not in terms of decoration but in terms of clarity, a kind of clarity that may be achieved through omission or exclusion of the non-essential. Kanso dictates that beauty and utility need not be overstated, overly decorative, or fanciful. The overall effect is fresh, clean, and neat. (Zen lesson: Eliminate what doesn't matter to make more room for what does). 2. Fukinsei ( 不均整 ) asymmetry, irregularity The idea of controlling balance in a composition via irregularity and asymmetry is a central tenet of the Zen aesthetic. The enso ( Zen circle ) in brush painting, for example, is often drawn as an incomplete circle, symbolising the imperfection that is part of existence. Nature is full of beauty and harmonious relationships that are asymmetrical yet balanced. Asymmetrical balance is a dynamic, beautiful thing. This is a dynamic beauty that attracts and engages. The goal of fukinsei is to convey the symmetry of the natural world through clearly asymmetrical and incomplete renderings. The effect is that the viewer supplies the missing symmetry and participates in the creative act. (Zen lesson: Leave room for others to co-create with you; provide a platform for open innovation). 3. Shizen ( 自然 ) without pretence, natural Absence of pretence or artificiality, full creative intent unforced. Ironically, the spontaneous nature of the Japanese garden that the viewer perceives is not accidental - it is not a raw nature as such but one with more purpose and intention. This is a reminder that design is not an accident, even when we are trying to create a natural-feeling environment. The goal of shizen is to strike a balance between being of nature yet distinct from it - to be viewed as being without pretence or artifice, while seeming intentional rather than accidental or haphazard. (Zen lesson: Incorporate naturally occurring patterns and rhythms into your design). 4. Yugen ( 幽玄 ) subtly profound grace, not obvious Profundity or suggestion rather than revelation. A Japanese garden, for example, can be said to be a collection of subtleties and symbolic elements. You should be able to think of many ways to visually imply more by not showing the whole, that is, showing more by showing less. The principle of yugen captures the Zen view that precision and finiteness are at odds with nature, implying stagnation and loss of life, and that the power of suggestion is often stronger than that of full disclosure. Leaving something to the imagination piques our curiosity and can move us to action. (Zen lesson: Limit information just enough to pique curiosity and leave something to the imagination). 5. Datsuzoku ( 脱俗 ) unbounded by convention, free Freedom from habit or formula. Escape from daily routine or the ordinary. Unworldly. Transcending the conventional. This principle describes the feeling of surprise and a bit of amazement when you realise you can have freedom from the conventional. For example, the Japanese garden... made with the raw materials of nature and its success in revealing the essence of natural things to us is an ultimate surprise. Many surprises await at almost every turn in a Japanese garden. Datsuzoku signifies a certain reprieve from convention. When a well-worn pattern is broken, creativity and resourcefulness emerge. (Zen lesson: An interruptive break is an important part of any breakthrough design).

5 6. Seijaku ( 静寂 ) stillness, tranquillity Energised calm (quiet), solitude. This is related to the feeling you may have when in a Japanese garden. The opposite feeling to one expressed by seijaku would be noise and disturbance. The principle of seijaku deals with the actual content of datsuzoku. To the Zen practitioner, it is in states of active calm, tranquillity, solitude, and quietude that one finds the essence of creative energy. Enter meditation, which is an incredibly effective way to enhance self-awareness, focus, and attention and to prime your brain for achieving creative insights. (Zen lesson: Doing something isn t always better than doing nothing). 7. Shibui/Shibumi ( 渋味 ) austerity Beautiful by being understated, or by being precisely what it was meant to be and not elaborated upon. Direct and simple way, without being flashy. Elegant simplicity, articulate brevity. The term is sometimes used today to describe something cool but beautifully minimalist. Shibui emphasises restraint, exclusion, and omission. The goal is to present something that both appears spare and imparts a sense of focus and clarity. (Zen lesson: Refrain from adding what is not absolutely necessary in the first place).