On this sunny Sunday morning we drive to a part of Sydney which is new to me. Balmain is in the western suburbs, an area I am told that is frequented by artists and bohemians. Our destination is a two-bedroom ryokan that I have read about months ago and filed away for a distant trip to Sydney. We called the proprietor yesterday and she promised to be waiting for us at 10AM before a Japanese gift wrapping class she is giving at 10:30.
Ryokan Gojyuan is an example of passion made material. Here is an old Sydney family house that has fallen into the hands of 60- year-old Linda Evans, her husband and children. And Linda, whose fascination with all things Japanese reaches back to a childhood memory of the TV program, The Samurai, decided to turn the family home in to a guest house – a Japanese one that marries cultural authenticity with her imagination. The ryokan’s beauty lies in its simplicity and lack of pretension. Each of the two rooms looks out on to a pocket garden that has been meticulously planted and cared for – bamboo, maples, mosses, stones and falling water. The furo, a traditional Japanese bath made of cedar, overlooks another garden scape. What a wonderful overnight getaway after a day at work!
Not that Sydney life seems so terribly stressful to this New Yorker! Heading north, now, to Mosman, we pick up a coffee and some produce in Providore, a local market that I have never found the likes of in New York. From pancetta to cheese, truffles to fish, Providore is replicated throughout the city. And I am jealous. Why, in New York, do we not seem to have this quality of produce presented with the flair and care that I see here? Life is expensive, to be sure, in this city down under, but then wages are high, social systems seem to function and there appears to be a healthy work/play balance. At Balmoral beach, just a step from Mosman town, families are out in force on this last day of winter. It is a healthy life both physically and psychically, and I can well understand how it gets under the skin.
We walked the length of Balmoral beach and lunched at The Bathers Pavillion, a delicious restaurant at the water’s edge owned by one of Australia’s preeminent chefs, Serge Dansereau. Sydney oysters, scallops, pork loin and quail, washed down with a delicious rose, capped a relaxed Sydney morning. I’m already beginning to forget that there is a whole other world out there.
Honda Shoryu, Timber bamboo and rattan, 2000[/caption]
There is a period missing in the timeline of human development, that of the Bamboo Age. Bamboo's widespread use since earliest times - particularly in East and Southeast Asia - elevates this extraordinary plant to almost mythic status. It has been used as transport (wheeled vehicles), building material, food, weapon, musical instrument and, even, poison. For hundreds of years, simple, everyday utensils as well as refined bamboo vessels were made according to local traditions and techniques passed down from generation to generation. Most ubiquitous of all, perhaps, is the basket.
It was not until the end of the 19th century that bamboo craftsmanship began to be recognized as one of the traditional Japanese decorative arts, and, later, as an art form. As with other handmade arts in Japan, there were lineages of craftsmen who handed down techniques and developed their personal styles; Masters emerged, recognized as National Living Treasures. Six of these artists are represented in this stunning show of 90 baskets collected by Diane and Arthur Abbey since the 1990s. The show comes to a close soon at the Met Museum.
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FYI: The 64th Japan Traditional Kogei - Art Crafts - Exhibition will take place at the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum between February 23 and March 11, 2018
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