Once again we are fascinated by the Japanese culture and their ability to manipulate nature while respecting its essence. Ikebana (meaning “making flowers alive”)  is actually a glorification of the beauty of flowers, and the act of arranging them is in itself meditation and contemplation of beauty.

Studio OPI designed this Ikebana vase in the late 1960s for Ceramiche Gabbianelli, allowing a variety of combinations thanks to its ceramic grid top. Fifty years later photographer Mariken Wessels investigated the tension between life and death, fluidity and fixation, in a kaleidoscopic interpretation of the flowers’ symbolism.