An act of vandalism became the inspiration for Emily Karanikolopoulos’ winning display in the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS). Driving along she spotted a burnt out garden in front of a Doncaster Hotel.
“The Shoppingtown Hotel has these beautiful big, what they call, ball on a stick plants. Someone had set fire to them, vandals had burnt them. My first reaction was ‘oh my god they burnt them’. And then, I said to my sister, ‘quick ring the hotel, find out if we can have them’,” Ms Karanikolopoulos tells Neos Kosmos.
With a bamboo theme already in her head, she thought to incorporate a display with the two.
“They had one bush – they must have just put the fire out before it took over the whole bush – that had one small rounded area of beautiful green as it used to be and the rest of it blackened,” she explains.
“That inspired me to do the rest of the display like this.”
Cutting the bush vertically in half, the almost burnt out bush looked like it had been struck by lightning. Wrapping strong strips of bamboo around the area and through the bush, Ms Karanikolopoulos had her display.
Already a two time winner of the Shop Window Competition for the floral awards, Ms Karanikolopoulos has used her expertise in Ikebana style to give her a special edge.
“Because I am an Ikebana teacher, my aesthetic is definitely Asian and not western, which is predominantly what goes on in the flower and garden show,” she says.
Ikebana is the precise art of Japanese flower arranging. It doesn’t just incorporate the prettiest parts of a flower, but rather emphasizes the stems and leaves, while making shape and form stand out. It takes years to perfect and requires high amounts of focus and a good eye.
“Ikebana is an unusual artform,” Ms Karanikolopoulos reveals.
“It’s very time consuming, it’s not the award that many young people can get because it takes many years experience to achieve it.”
Along with her win, in fourth place was Ms Karanikolopoulos’ sisters’ in law, Toula and Betty. Teaching for over 18 years, Ms Karanikolopoulos has definitely influenced many with her love of Ikebana.
Ms Karanikolopoulos also makes flower arrangements for functions like weddings, christenings and funerals.