Chowa is a botanical and visual research project born during Fausta Bonfrate’s, founder of Blomour, residency in Japan, where she studied ikebana at the Sogetsu School between Tokyo and Kyoto. Rooted in the Japanese concept of harmony and balance, the project explores the relationship between nature, space, and perception through site-specific botanical installations.

Set within a historic traditional house, Chowa unfolds as a sequence of compositions that respond directly to the architecture. Each installation investigates equilibrium not as a fixed condition, but as a dynamic interaction between natural elements, gravity, and the surrounding space. Branches, stems, and wild materials are arranged in ways that allow tension, weight, and movement to become visible, transforming ikebana into a spatial and sculptural language.

Rather than relying on conventional supports, the installations depend entirely on the physical dialogue between materials and environment. Surfaces, light, and architectural lines become active participants in the composition, guiding how each element is positioned and perceived. Through this approach, the work emphasizes observation and listening, principles central to the practice of ikebana, allowing the materials to reveal their natural character and structural possibilities.

All botanical elements are locally foraged or sourced from the surrounding landscape. This process grounds each composition in its environment, creating works that are temporary yet deeply connected to place. The result is an immersive experience in which viewers are invited to slow down and engage with subtle relationships between form, space, and nature.

Fausta’s artistic vision bridges contemporary design and traditional Japanese aesthetics. By translating architectural principles such as proportion, rhythm, and balance into botanical forms, her work explores how natural materials can activate and transform space. CHŌWA ultimately reveals the quiet poetry that emerges when nature and architecture enter into dialogue.