31/03/2010 - The Sakura Flowers
Four days of work
shops will run as part of the Sakura art exhibition taking place in the Great Oak Hall at Westonbirt Arboretum from 1 to 7 April.
The Sakura exhibition (cherry blossom in Japanese) celebrates the onset of spring. 3,000 paper flowers will be made by volunteers and during workshops to help create the Hana Mikoshi (portable shrine), used traditionally in Mino, the historic centre for traditional papermaking in Japan, to celebrate the onset of spring.
Elaine Cooper, the artist leading the exhibition has close links with Mino, having lived there for many years. She commented:
"In Mino, the local people make paper cherry blossoms to adorn the shrines which are then paraded through the city on the second Saturday and Sunday of April. The timing of the event at Westonbirt has provided an ideal opportunity to link the exhibition with the celebrations in Mino, and to involve volunteers and visitors the arboretum."
The Hana Mikoshi will become a portable children’s float and will be displayed within the education centre to begin with, before moving to the Great Oak Hall to form part of the exhibition. Flowers will continue to be made throughout the exhibition and these will be added to the boughs of the float.
Find out more on our events pages.