I propose the demise of the bonsai demonstration.

I hate bonsai demonstrations. I hate the "instant bonsai" mentality they create. I hate the "bonsai contests" they foment. I hate the senseless destruction of perfectly healthy (sometimes) nursery stock. I hate the raffle tickets to buy these "bonsai." I hate the roving bands of itinerate "masters" who make more or less of a living doing "front front front, branch branch branch, chop chop chop, wire wire wire, pot pot pot" to provide raffle stock for local clubs who should know better.

Master Arrives at Garden Center for Saturday Morning Demonstration. Nursery Stock Lined Up Against Wall, More or Less Healthy, Most Never Prepared in Any Way for Bonsai Use. Some Quite Useless for Bonsai. Master Proceeds to Choose Front, Select First Branch, Second Branch, Third Branch, Apex! Snip Snip, Wire as Fast as You Can, Move to Second Plant, Lather, Rinse, Repeat!

First Tree is Wired: Time to Repot! I'ts August, You Say? Let's Just Soak the Rootball in Superthrive! Besides, We Sell More Tickets With a Pot! The Acer Palmatum Will be Just Fine, Just Try Not to Let a Noob Win.

Lunch Break, It's Critique Time! Each Member, Noob to "Legend in Their Own Mind" Brings Their Tree to be Oohed and Aahed at by Master. Master Wants to Cut. Master Gives Advice, Member Ignores Advice. This Master Doesn't Agree with Last Master!

Saturday is Over, Take Master to Japanese Restaurant! Or Chinese If We Don't Know Any Better.

Sunday, Repeat Saturday, but Change Critique for Master Class. And Etc.

What good is the "bonsai demonstration" part of the equation? What do members learn from it. For that matter, what does the general public learn from a bonsai demonstration?

First, they learn that to make a bonsai, we must start with normal nursery material, regardless of species, then chop it down to nothing and wait for branches.

Second, they learn that "real bonsai" happens when the "master" is here.

What they never learn is how to move a tree from a stick in a pot to a higher level of development. Or how to judge prebonsai stock. Or how to judge a mature tree. Or how to do a myriad of techniques handed down for scores of years that make the illusion of bonsai come alive.

This position makes some, who earn some living in the process, a little uneasy. This discussion reveals the acknowledgement of the unethical nature of much of this practice, while making excuses for one's participation!

We need a new model! We need a new way of thinking about the art and hobby of bonsai, one that shows respect for trees, members, and teachers alike!

I have some ideas along these lines which I hope to share soon. Comment is always appreciated.

__________________
Chris Johnston
"She was a critic, and lots fo critics who aren't called to do what they write about grow jealous and mean and small in their disappointment." - Stephen King, Duma Key
Sashi-no-eda.blogspot.com

Chris,

I would be interested in seeing a demo using a series of trees. The first could be nursery stock, taken to a reasonable state given the season. A second tree could be available that has been worked a bit, so the demonstrator can take it one step further. A third tree, further along.....and so on, limited only by the club budget and available time. Ideally they would be of the same species, and same general style.

This would give the audience the sense of the entire process, while allowing the demonstrator to emphasize the timeline between stages of work. Of course, it would require a high degree of coordination between the visiting artist and the hosting club. Too much to ask for?

Brian

I must be fortunate, out of the 6 demos I've seen, none have been "nursery stock to finished tree" type!
Matter of fact, one demonstration was a tree that already had some styling, and was in "stage two", refinement-for the reasons you gave! The artist said they felt we'd seen enough chop chop type and thought we'd like to see refinement type demo. Several demos have been nursery stock, but every artist said enough work had been done that it was better to wait to put into a pot. They talked about what kind of pot it might look best in, but there the tree stayed in the nursery can . Another demonstration was on using slash pine for bonsai (Dorothy). She demonstrated how to bend a branch, and the whole time emphasized health of the tree. She also did a seperate demo on a juniper, and again, emphasized health of the tree. Another demonstration I saw was plants that had had some work done being made into a forest... again, no chop-n-pot there.

Perhaps, rather than fault the medium, we should start asking the demonstrators to expand into other items? If the club says, hey, here's what we'd like to see.... rather than leave the demonstrators thinking chop-n-pot is wanted, everyone can be happy! Keep the chop-n-pot for the county fairs where the intent is to get warm bodies interested long enough to want more........

I propose that demonstrations stay . I for one would like to see more of them.... I haven't seen a bad one yet.

Brian's idea is a great one! Just need to tell this to the demonstrators. "Hey, could you bring a raw item and work it a bit, a partially worked item, and a more refined item to see the progress?" If the club provides the trees, hopefully you could find 3 of the same species... If it's a "new" species, well, then we're stuck a bit .

Well, that seems to be quite a bit of the problem here. I have seen good teachers, but rarely a good demo. And the self-admitted problem in the thread I quoted was that this presenter did these chop and pot demos because the clubs wanted them! Oh, he knew it was unethical and all, but they made him do it!

I appreciate a well-done and informative demonstration as much as anyone. I would go a long way to get to see Kimura or Marco do something like that. But so much of it is just crap!

Systematic teaching is the only way to overcome this kind of situation, but it will never happen until people get frustrated enough to seek out real teachers, people who know what's what.

You're expecting too much .

Bonsai demos are NO, and never really have been, about "teaching" anything. They are theater. Pure and simple. People want to see the master work his "magic" on a hapless piece of nursery junk. They want the short tour of how he/she works-- a chance to see in shorthand the evaluation process of stock and a short tour of actual techniques. They want to pick up some finer points of how to hold wire, use a tool, or discover a drastic technique they can dream about using on some of their own hapless nursery junk They want to critique the master's performance behind his/her back. Tey want to Monday morning quarterback. Watching a professional demo is living vicariously.

In spite of all this, I think demos and travelling masters have their place. If you've never seen a bonsai or have no idea of how they are made, demos that produce one can actually be quite eye-opening and thought provoking. They can become the "AHA" moment for some people.

Additionally, the chance to actually win that specimen tree through a raffle is a money maker for clubs that might need the cash to continue other work.

If you're really out to learn bonsai, presumably, you will not be much impressed by a demo, or need to attend one. If you're out for a real critique of your tree, asking a bunch of travelling masters for their opinions won't get you a solid idea of what can be made from your tree. It will get you a bunch of informed opinions. ONLY YOU can really decide what to do. A tree owner who accepts such critiques as the word of a God is being a little star struck...

Demos have their place. They are what you make of them.

Tere is a world of difference between a demo and a lecture /demonstration. Pity there isn't more of the latter.

Our club has limited finances. However we have a visiting Sensei and advisor. He visits every second year. He takes us to a different level each visit. With revision, he also teaches the newer members at there level. We have only ever had one demonstration from him. It was a large group it was raffled was won and the member said if it died he would not be back. Guess what. It was a large Ficus group. I have a saying ( it applies here in W.A. ) if you kill a fig give up growing weeds you will kill them. Back to lecture / demonstrations. He has taught us techniques for bending large trunks without to much stress on us or the tree. To look at trees from all angles. I have been in the habit of revisiting my trees often to see if they could be improved. Sometimes through accidents you have to do this. He also explains why we should do something not just do it blindly.We work with stock that has been worked on before, or new stock for those who wish to. Most however use existing trees for further development. We as a club think it is better than having a different Sensei each time, as he knows where we should be at and if we did not move forward we get the proverbial sore butt. Just my two cents worth Pup. That is Western Australia W,A. On his last visit I worked on a Melaleuca it hhad one week branch lowon the left side I thought cut it of and change the front. We did not do that we put another small tree in. My concern was the weak branch I was told wrap it in shpagnum moss. I asked why and was told contsant moisture at this point in the branch will help the sap flow. I was sceptical!. It works the branch is recovering nicely. It is an Australian native too.

Our club will usually set these up as work shops, with a proper demo for the club meeting afterwards. We work on our own, or club trees, for the demo portion we will only do what the tree will stand, and they have typically have been developed for Bonsai. Sometimes it will be multiple tree demos, because you can only do so much depending on season, tree type, etc. so we get an initial (at least) styling, with future styling/care advise , maybe more for our raffle.

But we will often if possible supply materials that lend themselves to the traveling artist/performer. It's the Greater Sprinfield Bonsai Society, we are a small club, but work with a "sister club" in Hartford Ct., helps to bring in many good people and ideas.

That said in the past we did have a bunch of demos that produced "Bonsai" from the demo material, I won one that Bill Valvanis did for us, and it took me over ten years to find a way to kill it. Within reason the whole schmeel can be done in a demo, with proper aftercare, I did say within reason.

Bill

Chris, I have seen many "Demos" like the ones you speak of. I must say I too dislike them.
But so many of late have changed what they do, paying more
attention to the health of the tree and making it "part" of the demo.
I have done several and have focused on only taking a tree so far as to allow for the proper time to take it to the next step.

I have used several trees at one demo making it like a progression class.


Hector

Darned silly question but can I hire Chris to do a demo at my club.

A serious question !!!