Macleans College ESOL students participate in Ikebana flower arranging activity

On Thursday 30 May, ten ESOL students participated in an Ikebana flower arranging activity at Macleans College.

The students were taught the traditional Japanese art of flower arranging by Iris Cheng and Keiko Murakami from the Hope Floral Art Society Inc. Both artists have been studying this disciplined art form for over 25 years and teach children as young as five years of age. They display their work in exhibitions and public libraries across Aotearoa New Zealand.

The students were taught a particular style of Ikebana called Moribana (of The Sogetsu School), which uses a shallow container and a kenzan (a metal plate with needles to which flower stems can be affixed) to complete the arrangement. The floral designers, Cheng and Murakami, also demonstrated several other styles for the students on the day.

To complete their arrangements successfully the participating ESOL students needed to utilise their mathematical skills to create angles, length, placement and shape.

Ikebana is a very precise art and each arrangement utilises different techniques, container types, styles, colours and shapes. The students were fully engaged throughout the presentation and the workshop, and they produced some excellent arrangements of their own which they were able to take home with them.

This activity was sponsored by the Howick Local Board and was established to nurture an appreciation and respect for a different culture and to increase awareness in youth of the rich cultural diversity in Howick.