From
Roses - three sisters in a house surrendering
to the passage of time, 2003
Impermanence
was an essential element of Ryusaku Matsuda's display,
which gradually changed over the two-month duration
of the exhibition. Taking cues from the western qualities
of the room, he created three figures wearing flowing
dresses that are covered with the powder of red roses.
In the months prior to the exhibition the petals were
dried, then crushed with a mortar and pestle into a
fine power. The color was a vivid pink at the start
of the exhibition, but faded as the weeks went by. The
figures change in the way that women age, but remain
beautiful in this transformation. He hoped that visitors
returned to observe these subtle changes.
Matsuda usually works with five types of plants: cherry
blossoms, willows, roses, carnations and bamboo. As
part of his working process, he spends time with each
plant that he selects through looking, touching and
smelling, to understand and respect its essence. Matsuda
attempts to use every plant that comes into his possession
and all parts of the plant. Intrigued by the ephemeral
nature of plants, he embraces the idea of death and
decay. In this way he sees his work with plants as a
form of communication.
Matsuda is positioned between Ikebana and flower design
having studied European floral design in the late 1970's.
Since the 1980's he has intersected with the contemporary
Ikebana world and has been included in many exhibitions
in Japan and internationally. Display is an important
element of his work. He served as the art director of
plant displays for the Japanese Government's garden
at the Flower Expo in Osaka, Japan and the art director
for Chinoise Flower: a contemporary dance performace
by Koto Yamazaki in 1999.
From
Roses - three sisters in a house surrendering to the
passage of time, 2003
powdered
rose petals, velvet, rice paper figures, pedestals
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