Final Wabi Sabi

8/7/2019 Final Wabi Sabi

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BOOK

WABI SABI FOR ARTISTS, DESIGNERS, POETS ANDPHILOSOPHERS: LEONARD KOREN

Friday, 6 November 2009



IT’S ABOUT BEAUTY

THE BEAUTY OF THINGS MODEST AND HUMBLE

THE BEAUTY OF THE UNCONVENTIONAL




FROM THE INTRODUCTION:

HOW TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL THINGS WITHOUT GETTINGCAUGHT UP IN THE DISPIRITING MATERIALISM THAT

USUALLY SURROUNDS [CREATIVE] ACTS - AN ANTIDOTETO THE PERVASIVELY SLICK, SACCHARINE, CORPORATESTYLE OF BEAUTY.




HISTORY

THE BOOK OF TEA BY OKAKURA KAKUZO (1906)(AVAILABLE ON PROJECT GUTENBERG) ALSO HERE:

HTTP://WWW.SACRED-TEXTS.COM/BUD/TEA.HTM

HOW TEA AND THE CEREMONY OF DRINKING TEA HASAFFECTED NEARLY EVERY ASPECT OF JAPANESE

CULTURE

THE C ONTRIBUTION OF SIMPLICITY TO BEAUTY


http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/tea.htm





LITERAL DEFINITION

WABI SABI IS DIFFICULT TO TRANSLATEROUGHLY MEANS RUSTIC

WABI: LIVING AWAY FROM SOCIETY AND ALONE WITH NATURE

SABI: CHILL, LEAN, WITHERED




DEFINITIONS

Wabi refers to Sabi refers to

A spiritual path Material objects

The inward/subjective The outward/objective

A philosophical construct An aesthetic ideal

Spacial events Temporal events



http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/final-wabi-sabi 8/31Friday, 6 November 2009











COMPARISON TO MODERNISM

MODERNISM:

THE DOMINANT AESTHETIC SENSIBILITY OF MID TO LATE

20TH CENTURY INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIALISED

SOCIETY




SIMILARITIES

BOTH APPLY TO ALL MANNER OF MANMADE OBJECTS,

SPACES AND DESIGNS

BOTH ARE STRONG REACTIONS AGAINST THEDOMINANT, ESTABLISHED SENSIBILITIES OF THEIR TIME

MODERNISM REACTED AGAINST 19TH CENTURYCLASSICISM AND ECLECTICISM

WABI SABI REACTED AGAINST CHINESE PERFECTION ANDGORGEOUSNESS OF 16TH CENTURY




SIMILARITIES (CONT.)

BOTH ESCHEW ANY DECORATION THAT IS NOT INTEGRAL TO STRUCTURE

BOTH ARE ABSTRACT, NON-REPRESENTATIONAL IDEALSOF BEAUTY

BOTH HAVE READILY IDENTIFIABLE SURFACE

CHARACTERISTICS. MODERNISM IS SEAMLESS,POLISHED AND SMOOTH. WABI SABI IS EARTHY,IMPERFECT, VARIEGATED.




DIFFERENCES

MODERNISM WABI SABI

Primarily public domain Private Domain

Logical, rational world view Intuitive worldview

Absolute Relative

Universal solutions/massroduced

One of a kind/varible

Faith in progress There is no progress




DIFFERENCES CONTINUED

MODERNISM WABI SABI

Recognises technology Recognises nature

People adapt to machines People adapt to nature

Geometric Organic

The Box The Bowl

Man made Natural




DIFFERENCES CONTINUED

MODERNISM WABI-SABI

Slick Crude

Needs to be well maintained Accommodates degradation

Purity adds to richness corrosion adds to richness

Cool Warm

Everlasting To everything there is a season




WABI SABI UNIVERSE

THINGS ARE EITHER DEVOLVING TOWARDS OR EVOLVINGFROM NOTHINGNESS




SPIRITUAL VALUES

TRUTH COMES FROM THE OBSERVATION OF NATURE

GREATNESS EXISTS IN THE INCONSPICUOUS ANDOVERLOOKED DETAILS

BEAUTY CAN BE COAXED OUT OF UGLYNESS




STATE OF MIND

ACCEPTANCE OF THE INEVITABLE

APPRECIATION OF THE COSMIC ORDER




MORAL PRECEPTS

GET RID OF ALL THAT IS UNNECESSARY

FOCUS ON THE INTRINSIC AND IGNORE MATERIAL HIERARCHY




MATERIAL QUALITY

THE SUGGESTION OF A NATURAL PROCESS

IRREGULAR

INTEMATE

UNPRETENTIOUS

EARTHY

MURKY

SIMPLE




ON PERMANENCE:

ALL THINGS ARE IMPERMANENT. THE INCLINATIONTOWARD NOTHINGNESS IS UNRELENTING ANDUNIVERSAL. EVEN THINGS THAT HAVE ALL THEEARMARKS OF SUBSTANCE – HARD, INERT, SOLID

PRESENT NOTHING MORE THAN THE ILLUSION OF

PERMANENCE







ON BEAUTY:

BEAUTY CAN BE COAXED OUT OF UGLINESS. WABI SABI

SUGGESTS THAT BEAUTY IS A DYNAMIC EVENT THAT OCCURS BETWEEN YOU AND SOMETHING ELSE. BEAUTYCAN SPONTANEOUSLY OCCUR AT ANY MOMENT GIVENTHE PROPER CIRCUMSTANCES, CONTEXT, OR POINT OF

VIEW. BEAUTY IS THUS AN ALTERED STATE OF

CONSCIOUSNESS, AN EXTRORDINARY MOMENT OF POETRY AND GRACE.







ON DECAY:

THE CLOSER THINGS GET TO NONEXISTENCE, THE MOREEXQUISITE AND EVOCATIVE THEY BECOME.







ON COMPLETENESS

ALL THINGS ARE INCOMPLETE. INCLUDING THE

UNIVERSE, EVERYTHING IS IN A CONSTANT, NEVER

ENDING STATE OF BECOMING OR DISSOLVING

WHEN DOES SOMETHING’S DESTINY FINALLY COME TOFRUITION? IS THE PLANT COMPLETE WHEN IT FLOWERS?WHEN IT GOES TO SEED? WHEN THE SEED SPROUTS?

WHEN EVERYTHING TURNS TO COMPOST? THE NOTIONOF COMPLETION HAS NO BASIS IN WABI-SABI.




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Final Wabi Sabi