14 - EspritBonsaiInternational #�^ Exhibitions
the artists sometimes performed in front of empty
seats. A real shame.
Talks on subjects as diverse as fertilisers, by
Frayssinet Ltd, “Working trees over time and the
different phases involved” by Gilles Vuillaume,
and “Why planting native trees is one way of
saving the planet” by Bruno Heck from the asso-
ciation Les Fous du Bois, captivated the audience.
There were also plenty of other activities on
offer for young and old: a workshop for children
on how to make an insect hotel; stone balancing
by S.P. Ranza; martial arts (wa-jutsu); a demon-
stration of forging and making katana; a work-
shop on creating kokedama; origami; Japanese
calligraphy ...
Damien Dufour, who teaches in the Ohara
School of ikebana, displayed a few of his arrange-
ments. The painter Casimir Ferrer, a native of Albi,
also showed his work, which sometimes mingled
with the bonsai plant matter.
Of course there were also traders selling trees,
pots and tools, but also knives, local produce and
Japanese specialities.The kokedama workshop
was very busy!Stone balancing explained by S.P.
Ranza, 2019 European champion.EBA Merit
Award: Pinus
thunbergii,
Francesco
Forno. Height:
43 cm (17 in.).