my display in the MBS annual show

i posted specific pictures from the milwaukee bonsai society annual exhibit under bonsai discussion but wanted to just stick my display here for individual comments specific to this display...

love ? hate ? or something in between

i called it:

CAN NATURE RISE ABOVE ?
the contrasts of South Africa








to be honest, i can not wait until i have something other than spekboom ready for display...
at that time i can work on something more localized, but i do have a deep love for Africa.

What happened to the Bonsai and Bonsai Display ???

Looks more like some Political Statement about South Africa to me >>>???

its over the top .... love ? hate ? or something in between

Bolero wrote:Looks more like some Political Statement about South Africa to me >>>???

politics ?
not my thing...

an environmental statement.

right, instead of a scroll depicting nature you used an over crowded hill. yet to me and many of us it reminds us of the slums from many of the third world countries. I think that is why it seems political. I personally enjoy looking at the display and find it charming. I am working on some trees which i will incorporate a giraffe with.

Toshiro wrote:right, instead of a scroll depicting nature you used an over crowded hill. yet to me and many of us it reminds us of the slums from many of the third world countries. I think that is why it seems political. I personally enjoy looking at the display and find it charming.

thanks toshiro...

and yes,,, they are slums.
that was the point.

juxtapositioning the conflicting elements that exist side-by-side in real life.

i'm glad that the judge got it.......................

I thought it was a picture of San Francisco.
I've only been to 2 bonsai shows in my life. I don't even notice the scrolls nor the stand and rock and little pot of weeds. I'm looking at the trees.
So I didn't even know you were trying to make a statement with your display Kevin.

M. Frary wrote:  I thought it was a picture of San Francisco.

M. Frary wrote: I've only been to 2 bonsai shows in my life. I don't even notice the scrolls nor the stand and rock and little pot of weeds. I'm looking at the trees. So I didn't even know you were trying to make a statement with your display Kevin.

and thats not a bad thing as the tree is the main thing and the rest is just window dressing...

of course the window dressing should give the tree some context and that context is up to the exhibitor with the hopes that the viewers will understand the context, whether it be emphasizing the current season or suggesting the tree is growing in what would be it's natural environment or any number of possibilities (despite the formal display rules)

kind of like actual "window dressing"

the real dress for sale is placed on a mannequin to suggest it is on a real person
and the window dressing is all designed to sell the dress, which again, is the main thing.

but again, with all manner of appreciation of any "art" (term used loosely), i believe the notion of objective viewing is impossible...
every viewer is subjective, and i dont see how it can be any other way.

so, when putting something on display, one can only hope that the viewer "gets it".

and if they don't, that is not their fault...

Very interesting Kevin. And in your area your artistry was recognized by and award. Well worth further study. Oh and I wonder what Arthur and Walter would say.

I really loved your display....the giraffe was awesome and the scroll was not PC; although this is what I liked!! Coming from a "rule bender" who.. "gasp" shows two stones in a daiza ... welcome to the club!! Can't wait to see what you do next year!!!

Norma

thanks doug... i do doubt though that either arthur or walter would be much interested in my novice tree and display  


and thank you too norma !
believe it or not, i am already (and always) rolling ideas around in my head for next year...

i think that for a novice, alot of fun can be had with displays until my trees get to the point where they can stand more on their own...

luckily the spekboom develop quickly which has allowed me to present an acceptable approximation of a mature tree in only the few years i have been doing this, but i am really looking forward to showing some of my real trees as they move slowly along the path...

but i doubt that will be next year,,,

and btw - it is a good thing you put 2 stones on one diaza in these modern times...
back in the old days you may have been burned as a witch

let's try this again...some bobble just erased a long post...

Ok Kevin...a couple of thoughts

First!! and most importantly!! I love that you are willing to experiment and try something different!!!
With that said, please take the rest of this as constructive criticism intended to help you get better down the road

IF you are going away from the Japanese aesthetic...do it...combining elements just doesn't seem to work in my eye...perhaps the exception to this could be the stand

the pic mounted on the quasi scroll looks a little wonky:( Put it in a frame!! ...cut the cord:)

I am sure it was the club that made the decision to clutter the displays with bamboo sticks... cut the cord:) You could suggest to the club, rather than separate displays, make displays work together and take your entire show to the next level. You'll get to see the results of this at the CBE in a couple weeks.

Perhaps it is just me, as I have several, but the concrete post draws my eye more than anything else in the display... I like your ingenuity but I am not sure it worked this time...(as you stated, you just need to get down the road a little with better trees)

The shaped black gravel just adds clutter to the image in this situation... in my opinion.. In this case it takes you from 3 to 4 items in the display...a little more difficult

Obviously your space was limited...if you had more, I think a little more space between the tree/giraffe and the picture would have made the display feel a little less cramped

I like the giraffe... i think the African plains message was clearly stated....

I also noted, and found interesting, that your use of the ghetto/slum picture was to make a statement about the dichotomy...which is very different than how accessories are typically used (to add details, often seasonal or time of day, to the overall message). This made me scratch my head a little...made me think differently...good stuff!!

Ok...that is enough to chew on for now:) I hope that you and I can find the time to walk through the displays at CBE and have a conversation:)

John

Nice job . . .

. . . as the tree is the main thing and the rest is just window dressing. . .

Depends on how you approach the sport.

thanks jim...

and john i know how fond you are of forums, so i appreciate you taking the time to express your thoughts...

constructive criticism is always welcome and your comments make sense and they will be chewed upon.

in direct response to a couple things:

i had considered a frame for the picture but part of the reason i didnt was because i wanted folks to do the old "double take" as they are most definitely not used to seeing such an image as a scroll... so that was an intentional "wink and a nod" to the traditional scroll to make sure people were paying attention...

and yes, everyone was cramped for space for this show... they set the tables up differently which enabled a better flow, but in doing so, they lost some display footage... i also had some decidedly more urban dividers for my display, but that wasnt my choice...

and as to your offer of a conversational stroll through the CBE , i would be super stoked to do that with you !

thanks again.

Kevin
I Had 4 shots of CC with Ice and Water and still couldn't get my head around your Display.

I'll try again tonight but use some South African wine...Seriously I'm trying...

Chuck

huh... thats weird... 4 shots should of done the trick  

just kidding...

i'm sure it aint everyone's cuppa tea and thats cool too...

after all i was raised on skateboarding and punk rock,
not aikido and gagaku  

I hear you, and you are definitely on your own page here, it is appreciated you non-conformist you....

Watching Don Johnson, 1970's Miami Vice guy talking about Wildcats in the Oil business...On Kelly & Michael show...

That's you in the Bonsai business,. you Wildcat guy.

Chuck

I appreciate honoring the roots of bonsai, but I think for many it becomes a mimicry w/o thought.  That's not meant as a slam against Japanese culture, nor against the many artists I am pointing to- it is natural to mimic when getting into a new and very different hobby/sport/art/way of life(my own personal name preference is 'therapy').  In the latter case, mimicry, I think it is worth people stepping out to explore bonsai as a reflection of their own cultures.  After all, the Japanese did just that.

All that to say this, Kevin: 'Cool'!  I'm not in any position to critique the nuts and bolts, just to enjoy them for what I can imagine them to be...

thanks david !

Well done, Kevin...I really enjoyed viewing this composition....

Best regards,
Tom

thank you very much tom !
glad you enjoyed it.