The Art of Terrarium | Terra Kitoko

At TERRA.BY.KITOKO © we strongly believe we could contribute to a better world, by bringing back nature to our homes, by bringing back nature into our souls

Concept

TERRA.BY.KITOKO © is a multidisciplinary project around terrarium and kokedama creations.

TERRA.BY.KITOKO © sources itself in the Japanese Wabi-Sabi thought that invites us to recognize the beauty of simple, imperfect, and atypical things.

TERRA.BY.KITOKO © aims less at the materialization of the final object than the eclecticism of the disciplines nourishing the project. It aspires to contribute to the well being of the individual through slow and deep contemplation, learning, listening while adopting a posture of humility and benevolence.

\ tə-ˈrer-ē-əm \

A TERRARIUM is usually a sealable glass container containing soil and plants, and can be opened for maintenance to access the plants inside. Closed terraria create a unique environment for plant growth, as the transparent walls allow for both heat and light to enter the terrarium. The sealed container combined with the heat entering the terrarium allows for the creation of a small scale water cycle.

\ ko-kə-da-ma \

KOKEDAMA means “Spheres of moss” on which a plant blossoms. The Kokedama draws its originality from the symbolic and spiritual charge it bears and from the beauty of its graphic forms.

\ ki-to-ko \

KITOKO means “beautiful”, “pretty” in the Lingala language. Lingala is a Bantu language used by over 8 million people as a lingua franca in northern parts of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. KITOKO is phonetically linked to the japanese word KITONE meaning “trees” and “roots”.

Project

Passion

Terra.By.Kitoko © was born from a passion for nature.
Terra.By.Kitoko © was born from a desire to share this passion.
Terra.By.Kitoko © was born from the consciousness of wanting to educate oneself to nature. To understand it.

Power

Terra.By.Kitoko © helps to intensify the emotions of discoveries and travels.
It is a liberating vector of creativity.

Lightness

Terra.By.Kitoko © is driven by the power of lightness and the fragility of its figures through its minerals and plants.

Appeasement

Terra.By.Kitoko © is a companion of the present moment in the serenity and soothing silence of nature.

The first terrarium was developed by botanist Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward in 1842. Ward had an interest in observing insect behaviour and accidentally left one of his jars unattended. A fern spore in the jar grew, germinated into a plant, and this jar resulted in the first terrarium. Terrarium are also known as Wardian cases. They were build to exchange native plants between the UK and the british colonies.

Between bonsai and floral art, Kokedama is a very aesthetic culture method that comes from Japan. Very popular with young Japanese who found bonsai too restrictive and may be too steeped in tradition, this plant art is booming in his country of origin since the 90s. Kokedama means moss ball: vegetable composition consisting of a sphere of nutrient substrate of clay covered with a vegetable moss. Through plant creations, this floral art seeks harmony and union with the sacred and nature.