An eye for details

Members of Ikebana International Singapore Chapter 135 recently enjoyed afternoon canapés and an ikebana floral demonstration at the Blancpain watch boutique.

The oldest registered watchmaking brand in the world, Blancpain recently held a lovely afternoon tea with 32 members of the IKEBANA International Singapore Chapter 135, a community that celebrates the Japanese art of floral arrangment. The cosy affair kicked off with flutes of Blancpain’s in-house bubbly, Blancpain Champagne Blanc de Blanc. Scrumptious canapés such as Roasted Eggplant with Yogurt and Crispy Garlic, Crab Cakes with Lime Mayonnaise and Pickled Ginger, and Foie Gras Parfait on Brioche Toast with Truffle kept palates satiated.

Angela Kek, president of IKEBANA International Singapore Chapter 135, shared, “Ikebana comes from the Japanese word ike, meaning ‘alive’ or ‘arrange’ and bana meaning ‘flower’. And the spirit of ikebana is about learning from the past to create something new.” Echoing these thoughts was Emmy Tellier, vice president of Blancpain South East Asia, “This is why Blancpain chose to showcase ikebana floral arrangements as it is reflective of what the brand stands for – the watchmakers putting their heart and soul into each timepiece,” she said.

Members of the IKEBANA International Singapore Chapter 135, such as Reiko Szerdahelyi, spouse of the ambassador of Hungary, and Christiane Duckworth, founder chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Flower Arranging Societies, were present at the event. Everyone was enthralled with Dr Leonard Lim, president of Ikenobo Society Singapore, who did a demonstration of freestyle ikebana using flowers and leaves like Japanese bamboo, coconut leaves, gerberas, lilies, roses, fatsia leaves, silver leaves, chrysanthemum, mimosa and anthurium. Dr Lim deftly created six elegant arrangements in under two hours.