As a member of the organizing club, I can say that we were aware of the onerous task to repeat the success of last year's contest but thanks to the renewed presence of Mrs. Luciana Queirolo, as a judge of the Suiseki section and the availability of Mr. Lorenzo Agnoletti, as a judge of the Bonsai section, the same quality in terms of teaching and unquestionable professionalism have been granted. First I thank all the members of the Bonsai Club Castelli Romani who have contributed to the organization and setting up of the exhibition, especially our president Mr. Claudio Cofani who exerted himself as ever in the success of the event.

The event was full of proposals: the conference of Mr. Luca Bragazzi on the branches of sacrifice was a must for bonsai lovers, the comment of Mr. Lorenzo Agnoletti on bonsai in display focused not only on the quality of plants but on all the elements of display, from table to pot and to accent plants, the suiseki lovers enjoyed the availability of Mrs. Luciana Queirolo who gave her advice on the stones that could become suiseki but above all she explained in great details the pros and cons of the suiseki on display, as well as her personal interpretation. Eventually bonsai and suiseki lovers met up to follow with interest the conference by Mrs. Silvia Orsi around the preparation of shitakusa and kusamono.

So we discovered the stories of these stones, the feelings they gave us, the way that we and they followed together till the display in an exhibition. Since a stone is never just a stone but it is part of us, of who gave it to us, of the day when we found it among a thousand others, of the suggestions that it gave us and that in a show at last became heritage of all.
See you next year !

 The Suiseki on display ... and their stories

Four years ago this stone was given to Mrs. Luciana Queirolo by Mr. Frank, an American friend of hers in visit in Italy with his family, an experienced suiseki lover. Knowing to be ill, Frank had wanted to set out on this journey with his family as long as he felt he could do it. On this occasion he gave Luciana this beautiful stone from Eel River in California because he did not know whether he could make the most of it as it deserved. Luciana accepted the witness or rather she did her best to take it to the show, making the daiza in record time and exposing it out of contest in AIAS Congress at Alberobello, in 2008. In "The world of Frank '" there is the stone, his history, his courage, the gift, and ... the daiza which is inserted in the tokonoma for this reason.
The exposure of Alberobello saw the stone in the center of the exhibition space, located under a kakejiku depicting a river of misty banks with no real separation between water and vegetation. All this fitted the exhibition season, the autumn, and the continuity between the river water and the water in the pool did impress. In summer this exposure is not feasible: Luciana chose a Doban that being placed outdoors for a few years is finally getting a good patina.

A good waterfall stone. The flow is not frontal, it is lateral, it jumps in the middle of its course, then it is hidden from the rock increasing its mystery. Luciana has suggested an improvement: in this location the cascade does not reappear, but if the stone were to rotate slightly to the right, the cascade would reappear down below and then it would end up on the daiza. In addition the tanzaku with the small dragonfly is not necessary. Daniela was asked to explain the exposure starting from the poetic name: "I
found this stone last year when going to San Remo for the UBI Congress I stopped for two days of hunting in Liguria. Since then I have been preparing it for the display which is a tribute to the Chinese poet Li Bai who lived in 700 and wrote the poem 'Gazing the waterfall in Lushan'.  Even though I do not like to use names of geographical locations as they impose an existing vision, in this case I thought I could do it because it is a distant unknown place which might make us dream more.
The poet Li Bai wrote the poem just at the sight of this majestic waterfall. Here I added the netsuke  depicting an old man sitting in contemplation, linking up well with an image often portrayed in traditional Japanese kakejiku, often depicting an old man sitting on a rock in contemplation of a waterfall in the distance. Missing the accent plant, the reference to the season has been given to the dragonfly, a summer symbol connected with the water. "
Daniela has then involved her friend and BCCR member Mr. Shi-Zhong-Quan who well knowing the poem recited it in Chinese enabling us to appreciate its musicality in its original language. The table was designed by Mr. Sergio Biagi, the dragonfly is an original painting by an Englishman Mr.Paul Goff, the netsuke is a gift from Mr. Craig Coussins.

Also Mr. Cosimo Pepe has been invited by Mrs. Luciana Queirolo to speak about his presentation, characterized by an object stone with an interesting texture but above all by a spoon that intrigued many: "This stone, which I purchased long ago, made me think: first I saw a geisha, perhaps a little ashamed of her activity but then more and more I saw, even if placed in the opposite direction, an old woman in the evening in the privacy of her kitchen, a country kitchen, mumbling to herself. The moon identifies the time of day and the spoon, an object coming from my grandmother’s things, can be traced back to the place, the old kitchen. Even the table, deliberately left a little rough, wants to emphasize the rural environment. I like to emphasize that table, shikishi and scroll were made by me". Luciana appreciated the enthusiasm of the do-it-yourself, she added that geishas are very proud of their job and that the pattern of the exhibit, in spite of being well represented, is not Japanese.

This stone tells a story of cooperation and cohesion, and Mrs. Luciana Queirolo has appreciated the aesthetics, the display and this particular aspect, which made of this suiseki the symbol of the BCCR club. Given to us last year, in memory of a pleasant mutual acquaintance, the stone has been given to Mrs. Daniela Schifano to be prepared, she cleaned it, made her friends Felice and Fabrizio create the daiza. Mr. Sergio Biagi was entrusted with the creation of the table and she presented it on behalf of the Bonsai Club Castelli Romani at AIAS 2011 Congress in Florence. Which better opportunity to see this stone again on display, if not the annual exhibition of the club? The member Mr. Giuseppe Cordone completed the exhibit enriching it with his bonsai juniper while the kakejiku was not used, in harmony with the teachings of the Japanese master Mr. Ando whose courses are being followed by the members of the club. Luciana said "I especially loved this stone, so I'm excited to see it as a suiseki in the end with its daiza, inserted in a display that values it. Everything tells me about cool wind: the high table, the juniper, which should be stapled but, however, it seems to move in the breeze. A good job ! "

This strong stone introduced as a landscape stone and accompanied by a tenkei representing a raft with a boatman, suggested to many an animal, from a toad to a turtle. Luciana has further supported these interpretations suggesting to improve the daiza first because the stone deserves it.

This stone, which suffered from an overly-backlit, according to Luciana sees its own optimal presentation on a tray and on a sand, while if exposed on daiza it would be penalized. But she does not share the view suggested by the poetic name as she does not recognize in aesthetics and colour a reminder of the desert dunes.

Also in this case Luciana does not agree on the presentation as a landscape stone, specifically as a shelter stone. In her opinion this is an abstract stone where the eye is attracted by a cluster of darker material which seems to emerge from the stone. Being an abstraction, therefore, to everyone, but especially to Carlo, the fascinating game of finding a similarity that is both convincing and compelling. The table is fine for its measures, but for its too light finish and too much grain in the wood it is completely wrong.

U.B.I. Prize 2012: What else could I say? This island of sandstone which is simple and elegant with a perfect triangularity, was exhibited for the first time on its daiza using a makeshift table, definitely unsuitable for its too strong legs that do not fit the simplicity of the stone. Luciana has little to add, except that for its clean sober lines it runs a risk of not being fully caught. It should always be exposed in a good light enhancing its beauty.