Ravi GuneWardena, Ikebana for Hollyhock House. Photography: Hiroshi Clark
From the start, Frank Lloyd Wright’s seminal Hollyhock House was envisaged as ‘half house, half garden’ and even took its name from the intricate floral motif that decorates its façade. Floral artist and architect Ravi GuneWardena is exploring this relationship further with his installation, Ikebana for Hollyhock House, which fills the interiors of the Los Angeles landmark with floral arrangements this spring.
Ikebana translates to ‘making flowers come alive’ and is the centuries-old Japanese practice of flower arranging, which seeks to convey emotions or feelings to the viewer.
‘The placement of an ikebana arrangement can inform and define the work itself,’ says GuneWarden. ‘The light and space of Hollyhock House appear to have been designed with this art form in mind.’
Frank Lloyd Wright is the grandfather of organic architecture and was heavily influenced by Japanese architecture. Hollyhock House is his best-known West Coast design, showcasing his ideas for indoor/outdoor living and lighting. The Maya Revival property was completed in 1921 and was Wright’s first project in Los Angeles. Although intended as the heart of a 36-acre East Hollywood arts complex, the full project was never realised. In 1927, its owner, oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, donated it to the city.
GuneWardena references the placement and scale of floral works Barnsdall had in the house in the 1920s and the materials used by Sogetsu School founder Sōfū Teshigahara in his practice from the late 1920s.
The compositions act as new reference points to create a dialogue with the building’s interiors and architectural form.
Site-specific special events are also planned for 18-20 April and 25-28 April 2024.
A pop-up exhibition of 45 fresh flower works by the LA branch of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana will be installed. These works will tumble out of planters in the garden and activate terraces, and six will be installed in the child’s bedroom—open for the first time since Hollyhock House’s public reopening in 2022.
GuneWardena’s floral designs will be off-view during the special events but will be reinstated for public viewing through fall 2024.
Ravi GuneWardena: Ikebana for Hollyhock House runs until autumn 2024 and is organised by Abbey Chamberlain Brach, Hollyhock House’s director and curator.
