If the exorbitant prices of Christmas baubles and wreaths have left you feeling desperate and forlorn in a barely festive house, take a look around your home. Perhaps indhiappa vatti mobiles and ekels sprayed with gold dust, a crib made of hanassu and a kulla, cake served in a kiri gotta and a labu gedi decanter, all of which can be made at home using household products, will leave you in a more festive spirit? What’s more, it will have your home looking uniquely Sri Lankan this Christmas season.
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| Christine |
“I wanted to introduce something new and affordable,” said Christine Fernando, the brains behind these creations. A past president of the Duty Free Trade Association, she holds the distinction of being the first and only Sri Lankan to chair the Asia Pacific Duty Free Association. Her passion for art and a bit of good luck resulted in her getting the opportunity to learn and master the Japanese art of Ikebana under two eminent Japanese professors.
A move to New Zealand saw her joining the prestigious Wellington Floral Art Club and winning many accolades for her floral designs. “My exposure to both Ikebana and western floral design helps me balance the different colours and textures better in my creations.”
Christine is a firm believer in the importance of experiencing the Christmas spirit. “My aim is to show people that without much expense and simply by using what is already available in your home, you can attain a beautiful ambience and feel the spirit of Christmas,” she smiled.
Having been approached by a popular TV station to “do something different” this Christmas season, Christine was inspired by the ‘Christmas houses’ (houses decorated festively and on display for the public) made familiar to her in New Zealand. Adopting this idea of exhibiting a ‘Christmas house’, she designed décor ranging from wreaths made of kurumba and corn casing to stars made of ekels and floor décor made from dhel leaves and madhu plant branches, all given a magical effect with simply a sprinkling of gold and silver dust.
The highlight of the exhibition is undoubtedly the ‘festive courtyard’ designed by Nimali and Asoka Jayasinghe. With trees made of chicken mesh and little rigifoam balls and a pathway made of pieces of tile all laid out on sand compressed on polythene, this dazzling display is further enhanced by a massive star in the centre.
This novel exhibition will be open to the public on Monday, December 15 from 9.30 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 6/2 Seagull Residencies, No.98, St. Anthony’s Mawatha, Colombo 5. and demonstrations on how to make these décor items will be conducted on request. The entrance fee is Rs. 50 and all proceeds will go to help underprivileged children in the neighbourhood. |
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