Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry

01:49:28

Eli Akins: Waldo Street Pottery

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2022/04/06

In this episode of Asymmetry, we sit down with Eli Akins—the proprietor of Waldo Street Pottery. Eli has a growing ceramic presence in the North American community. His work has taken on significant levels of evolution, which highlight his dedication to mastering the craft. Join us for a tremendous discussion of ceramics, the interaction and overlapping of music as a medium, and practicing bonsai. To see more of Eli's work, check out his website www.waldostreetpottery.com/

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02:06:55

Jan Culek: The Quiet Rockstar

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2022/03/30

Jan Culek's lightweight stone slabs have unleashed the imagination at Mirai, bringing compositions to life that would otherwise not be possible. In a recent, long-anticipated visit to Mirai from his native Czech Republic, Jan takes a break from styling in the workshop to have a conversation with Ryan and Ira about his journey into stone, why he doesn't like pots, and what's next in the journey of one of the most innovative bonsai professionals working in Europe today. For more of Jan Culeks's

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01:49:24

Kate Brelje

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2022/03/09

In this episode of Asymmetry, we deviate away from our standard bonsai geekery to share in an engaging conversation with Kate Brelje, a doctoral candidate at Temple University. Tune in this week as Kate walks us through her thesis study on plant care and the ethics that surround our relationships with plants.

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01:32:03

Jonathan Cross - Return of the Soda Fire

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2022/02/23

In this episode of Asymmetry, we celebrate the release of a new soda fired ceramics collection from Jonathan Cross. Travel back in time, and into the future of his soda firing journey, and see these incredible geometric vessels, now available only on Mirai Goods.

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02:00:05

Adam Jones - Tree House Bonsai

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2022/01/26

In this episode we get to sit down with Adam Jones of Tree House Bonsai. Adam not only broke the mold by apprenticing at the highly coveted Mansei-en bonsai gardens, but also has established himself as a functioning professional in the Japanese bonsai community. A deep thinker, talented artist and a person in the sphere of bonsai who is sure to leave a significant and positive imprint on the relationship between east and west.

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01:34:43

Looking forward to 2022

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2022/01/12

In this episode Ryan sits down with long-time resident bonsai practitioner and newly minted Project Manager for Mirai, Ira Sisson, to talk through what is to come in 2022.

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01:51:15

Kathy Shaner

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/12/22

Kathy Shaner was the first non-Japanese citizen to have completed a full bonsai apprenticeship under a master in Japan. As a woman, she defied the conventional structure of society in completing a rigorous apprenticeship under a bonsai master. Her good reputation paved the way for all modern, Japanese educated bonsai practitioners from around the world. She has educated successive generations of people, created spirited collections, and instills a higher level of knowledge everywhere she goes. This

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01:44:14

Ted Matson

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/12/09

Ted Matson is curator of bonsai collections at The Huntington in Los Angeles, CA, and one of the most influential bonsai teachers and demonstrators in North America. In this episode of Asymmetry, Ted walks us through his own bonsai journey and role in the evolution of the southern California bonsai scene that modernized bonsai in North America in the 80s and 90s. Learn more about The Huntington at huntington.org/bonsai-collection

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01:19:10

David Knittle

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/11/23

In this episode of Asymmetry we talk with David Knittle about his profound and iconic bonsai stands. Follow along and listen to his journey in woodworking and learn about his beautiful mastery of his craft.

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01:51:54

Rodney Clemons: Kingsville Boxwoods

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/11/10

In this episode of Asymmetry, a significant reference in the culture of North American Bonsai, Rodney Clemons has had a professional career for over 30 years that has provided him a tremendous amount of experience, insight, influence and unique knowledge not only about the bonsai community and its history but also specifically the nuances that pertain to the wonderful species cultivated in North America, primarily speaking about the Kingsville Boxwood. After his stream on Mirai Live, titled Boxwood

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01:25:36

Tim Kovar

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/10/29

In this episode of Asymmetry, professional tree climber and instructor, Tim Kovar, connects with Ryan Neil over their shared passion for the living organism of the tree. With a climbing school called the Tree Climbing Planet, Tim educates the community on how to responsibly climb trees, and how to connect and acknowledge these massive co-habitants of earth. After having climbed the old-growth redwoods together earlier this year, they delve into Tim’s background and perspective that nourishes their

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02:17:34

2021 Covered Wagon

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/10/16

In this episode of Asymmetry, tales from the Covered Wagon’s 2021 odyssey are revealed by dream team Ira Sisson and Ryan Clumpner, in conversation with Ryan Neil. In true Covered Wagon spirit, Ira and Ryan share their impressions of the diverse cultures that make up the United States in a way that only a cross-country road trip can impart, including an unexpectedly hilarious encounter during a midnight hotel arrival halfway across the country.

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02:22:08

James Agent Soil Science

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/10/08

In this episode of Asymmetry, Ryan Neil has a remarkably hopeful conversation with savant agronomist James Agent of Eden Blue Gold Solutions about the future of soil science, cultivation, and sustainability in agriculture. With an aim to reduce the human footprint in all aspects of horticulture – from farming to bonsai, James provides profound insight into mineral nutrition and the grander scale of agronomy to feed the world. To learn more about Eden Blue Gold Solutions, check out their website:

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02:05:38

Sergio Cuan: Deciduous Cultivation

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/09/17

In this episode of Asymmetry, bonsai professional extraordinaire Sergio Cuan rejoins us remotely for the second round of recording as we delve into his breakdown of seasonal deciduous cultivation. Based out of the Northeastern United States, Sergio's passion for maples, elms, hornbeams, and beech help us to expand our understanding of growth management and refinement through pruning, pinching, and defoliation. To see Sergio Cuan's work, check out his website m5bonsaiworks.com

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01:03:05

Ron Lang: The Final Collection

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/08/27

In this long-awaited episode of Asymmetry, Ryan returns from battle with the recent heatwave to rejoice in the company of legendary bonsai ceramicist Ron Lang. The unmatched, monumental body of work Ron Lang and his partner have created over the course of time is an inspiration to upcoming artists, and it is with profound respect we congratulate him on his retirement and final collection. Lang's extraordinary artistic influence and delightful persona will endure timelessly in the realm of

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01:25:57

The Rocky Mountains with Todd Schlafer

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/07/30

In this episode of Asymmetry, we are joined in the office by the familiar voice of Todd Schlafer, who is one of the most talented individuals traveling and teaching bonsai in North America. Now returning from a momentous trip to the Rocky Mountains near Todd's home, Ryan and him reflect on the shared experience of taking Mirai into the wild. Reminiscing, the two wrap their shared time together after weeks of working side by side and now look forward to the national show in Rochester. To see Todd

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01:06:11

Young Choe

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/07/16

In this episode of Asymmetry, the Mirai garden is illuminated with joy and creativity as we are joined by our honored guest, kusamono professional Young Choe. Proudly compelling and feminine, Young guides us through her and early childhood in Korea and enlightens us with her evolution as a Kusamono artist, and the origins of her passion for horticulture. To see more of Young Choe's work, check out her website at kusamonochoe.com

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01:56:55

New Mirai Live Educator: David Cutchin

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/06/18

In this episode of Asymmetry, we are elated to announce Mirai Live's new educator David Cutchin, a long-term student of Mirai with an extensive background in ecology and Southeastern American environments. As an expert in tropicals, propagation, and material cultivation and development for bonsai, David ushers us into a new era of Mirai Live instruction.

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01:05:41

Stone Monkey - Andrew Pearson

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/06/04

In this episode of Asymmetry, Andrew Pearson, the UK-based ceramic artist behind the Stone Monkey brand joins Ryan Neil remotely to discuss the evolution of Pearson’s artistic journey. Expressing his connection to the containers he meticulously crafts, and the creation of the permanent vessel for the nonpermanent living tree, Pearson guides us through his artistic odyssey and the complicated ethos that accompanies the artists’s perspective of their own creations. To shop the newest collection of

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01:23:54

Nao Tokutake

Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry ·

2021/05/22

In this episode of Asymmetry, ceramicist Nao Tokutake joins Ryan Neil for an in-depth conversation of ceramics, delving into the concept of the vessel, the clay, the chemistry, and the origins of the bonsai ceramic. As a young and upcoming ceramic artist in the Pacific Northwest, Nao profoundly details his personal journey from his roots in Japan to his background in engineering that serves to supplement his keen artistic approach to the bonsai vessel. Shop our collection of Nao Tokutake's

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