AusBonsai

Last night, we were treated to an insightful, and highly entertaining lecture at BSV by Ian Barnes on the art of displaying bonsai. Ian's presentation covered choosing the ideal pot (hachiawase), the right stand and accompaniments: accent plants and scrolls for a tokonama.

At the end of this, he cheerfully noted that whilst we might know all the artistic guidelines and significance behind decorative choices, we are often hampered from showing this due to a lack of the right pot and lack of available stands. Stands are rarer than hens teeth I have found. And finding the right stand to match the tree at a particular season or for a particular display can be near impossible. Is yoir club's display formal (shin), gyo (informal) or artistic (so)? One of Ian's slides was of a wall of stands, somewhere, ripe for selecting the right stand for a tree.

Which leads me to the idea that it would raise the quality of bonsai in Melbourne (and elsewhere in Australia) if there were businesses, possibly bonsai nurseries, that would hire out bonsai stands; I know of none. And I throw this idea and business plan out to whichever nursery or business is clever enough to capitalise upon it. I will be your first client. It is how it is done in Japan.

Hiring could be for the many club annual shows and monthly meetings, or for that special entertainment or occasion at home or work; the corporate sector would lap it up.

I imagine that a nursery would slowly acquire quality stands from their overseas suppliers for hiring; or partner with a "men's shed" of carpenters here --Ian's contribution; clearly Glenys wants him out of the house ; )

Nurseries would benefit greatly from a hire business, aside from a simple recurring income stream. Clients will come to select stands, bringing their trees, and to return stands. This is extra foot traffic through your nursery, and clients will be likely to buy other supplies, services or trees from you. Build in a deposit system to cover any maintenance needed for stands, like repolishing.

Beginner bonsai artists and those less rich amongst us would strive to exhibit more, knowing they could hire a stand to make their tree presentable. Seasoned artists could exhibit more trees, satisfied in the knowledge they have presented their art in the best fashion. And from this we could train the public to better appreciate the intricacies of displaying and viewing bonsai.

Hi Shane, i love to see the promotion of Bonsai to the next level and your idea has merit. Unfortunately it has been my experience (i have some display stands) that people are just not prepared to outlay that sort of money in Australia (not yet anyway). Most clubs put together their own displays and make their own stuff. I have found the same with trees. people would rather dig their own trees than buy a collected yamadori that has been developed by a Nursery. There are a few pioneers working hard at it but we are just too young, Bonsai wise, and are still taking baby steps. Remembering the fact that our Bonsai culture is only 60 odd years old and the Japanese maybe 5 century's? Have to do my homework on that one. Anyway, maybe when we get a couple of century's under our belt and our trees are becoming generational then, just then, maybe. I would love to see someone take up this idea and run with it. I, for one, would watch very closely to see where it goes.

Hi Shane,
Thankyou for bringing up an interesting problem and an exciting solution if possible.
Not wishing to hi-jack your post ... recently I have been getting a tree ready for the AUS Bonsai Native Comp and needed a very large stand, fortunately my brother agreed to make one for me. Our biggest problem was finding a book or website with a comprehensive guide to size, shape, design etc. any idea's Aus Bonsai peeps
Once again Shane great idea
Cheers John

Very interesting idea Shane It's funny how in our culture we often think of owning items rather than simply being able to use them for the required use or amount of time. I for one had never thought of this angle. Good ideas.

Great idea, but I have to wonder it it would/could be commercially viable in this country? When you consider the range of stands you would likely need & the storage space for them - the size, style & colour combinations are endless. That's without even considering the initial costs of purchase. Would they get enough use to cover the outlay & ongoing cost? It's a big commitment for something that may or may not work in this country.

I suppose it's like a lot of bonsai related issues in Australia - at this time we probably still don't have a big enough market for them in one place & transport costs are so prohibitive.

Just my

Cheers

Drac0 wrote:Great idea, but I have to wonder it it would/could be commercially viable in this country?

Short answer is "No". Some fool* will start buying stands (more than the spouse knows about) and eventually discover that not only do they have no more room in the shed but that people would like to use them for displays.

In the beginning, they will be loaned gratis.

Then costs will be covered. And couriers will be involved, with proper packing.

Finally, people will be stumping up to have That Stand(tm) for The Big Show(tm).

Suddenly, they're valuable and collectible. And the fool* still won't sell any.

And then we have a viable hobby.
*I resemble that remark

Knowing what size, colour and style stands to stock for hire would need some research or thought on behalf of the hirer; however, I don't see that as an insurmountable obstacle. Just as nursery businesses have to work out what tree stock, pots etc to stock to remain viable now.

bodhidharma wrote: Most clubs put together their own displays and make their own stuff... I would love to see someone take up this idea and run with it. I, for one, would watch very closely to see where it goes.

Yes, I have seen that many local bonsai hobbiests try their hand at least once at making a stand; but I don't know about 'most clubs' and I don't know about the quality. There is one person I've heard of who makes and sells quality stands in Melbourne, and I am likely going to have to contact that person to buy a stand or two ahead of this year's shows. I wonder if he hires?

Thoglette raises another idea for me. A community website for stands for hire, such that individuals who own too many good stands could take photos of their stands, nominate hire prices etc and hire to trusted members of the Australian bonsai community. What would your wife think then of that new stand, huh?

Shane wrote:Thoglette raises another idea for me. A community website for stands for hire, such that individuals who own too many good stands could take photos of their stands, nominate hire prices etc and hire to trusted members of the Australian bonsai community. What would your wife think then of that new stand, huh?

Hiring Bonsai pots for shows in Japan is apparently big business, but, this aint Japan.

If it was available, I'd hire a pot ahead of a show, if it meant getting my tree into a show.

As a member of two clubs I am a great believer in showing our trees off to our best ability. I have given talks my self on the subject of General display, as opposed to Tokonoma, I have also built up a small collection of various stands.
In the past I have been asked to lend them!!, this I have done when they come back damaged I am not happy, when asked what they are going to do about it. I get a quizzical look. So needless to say I stopped doing such.
Then we had a big show coming I was asked to lend my stands and if I could bring in all of them so that members who did not have one could use them. I relented.
Some of my own trees were moved from the stand I had put them on so some one else's tree was placed on it.
To top this off when breaking down the show all trees and stands were put where the owners trees and stands were to go for loading.
When stands go missing and you make this known and wait for them to be returned and wait and wait. Then see one of them in some one else's bags with your name scrubbed of you are justly miffed.

So I end my tirade with these words Good luck with that, if it is not theirs it will be abused.
A disgruntled Pup.
Still waiting for my stand it is part of a set.

Pup, I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I think that is exactly the wrong way it should be handled --free and without appropriate security. If I was hiring a stand from you (if you weren't on the other side of the country), I'd expect to leave a security deposit as part of the price and not get it back if the stand was damaged whilst in my care (including at the show).

And detailed photos of the condition upon collection would verify condition.

A wise business might source stands for hire from their customers who are hoarding them and hire them on commission...

Both Drac0 and pup are on the money. I have a small (very) collection of Japanese and Chinese display stands (the chinese are the better ones) which have been used in a few displays when I lived in Darwin. The damage to those stands, caused by other 'borrowers' has made them virtually unusable for further serious display. I even have stands with broken legs can you believe. And yep, we are talking Rosewood here guys, so you can imagine my pleasure to have found them damaged. Even Bonsai people fail to realise the value of good display stands, so you can imagine the disbelief when you tell someone a stand cost you a more than a few hundred dollars.

Sure wouldn't be me hiring out stands, thats for sure.

Pup wrote:As a member of two clubs I am a great believer in showing our trees off to our best ability. I have given talks my self on the subject of General display, as opposed to Tokonoma, I have also built up a small collection of various stands.
In the past I have been asked to lend them!!, this I have done when they come back damaged I am not happy, when asked what they are going to do about it. I get a quizzical look. So needless to say I stopped doing such.
Then we had a big show coming I was asked to lend my stands and if I could bring in all of them so that members who did not have one could use them. I relented.
Some of my own trees were moved from the stand I had put them on so some one else's tree was placed on it.
To top this off when breaking down the show all trees and stands were put where the owners trees and stands were to go for loading.
When stands go missing and you make this known and wait for them to be returned and wait and wait. Then see one of them in some one else's bags with your name scrubbed of you are justly miffed.

So I end my tirade with these words Good luck with that, if it is not theirs it will be abused.
A disgruntled Pup.
Still waiting for my stand it is part of a set.

My father always told me there are 2 things you never lend out! One is your wife and the other is your Tools (that can be a stand ...) because they both come back the same way! Broken...


Cheers
EZ
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