Wabi-Sabi
Emptiness vs. Nothingness All…phenomena are intrinsically void and yet this Mind with which they are identical is no mere nothingness. -Huang Po, “Zen Teaching of Huang Po”
A History of Obfuscation the “zen of things” dharma transmission—from mind to mind “wabi-sabi” as ineffability: to explain is to diminish reason is subordinate to perception in matters of art
Defining the Indefinable “wabi”—“abandonment, misery in nature” “sabi”—“chill, lean, withered” an evolution toward a more “positive” and “aesthetic” value the hermit’s life as an opportunity for spiritual enlighenment the ten-thousand things either are devolving toward or evolving from nothingness (emptiness)
“Wabi-Sabi” Observation of nature All things are impermanent All things are imperfect All things are incomplete Greatness exists in the inconspicuous and overlooked details Beauty can be coaxed out of ugliness Acceptance of the inevitable Appreciation of the cosmic order
“Wabi-Sabi” Get rid of all that is unnecessary Focus on the intrinsic and ignore material hierarchy Material Qualities the suggestion or natural process irregular intimate unpretentious earthy, murky and simple
Modernism A reaction against classicism Abstract and lacking intimacy Mass-produced and modular Control of nature A confidence in techne and machinery Minimalist and geometric Artificial materials
Modern Wabi-Sabi
Modern Wabi-Sabi?
Can Mars be Earthly?
Gardening Zenwise
Kare-sansui—withered landscapes “setting-off and framing” “familiar paths and vegetation are replaced by a stark rectangle of flat racked gravel, grouped or single stones, and space” “a sudden, almost deathly stillness” “soothing and shocking”
A questioning of reality: “In a garden we may open our minds in the face of nature, stilling our preconceptions and opening up the possibility of viewing ourselves and usual ways of thinking from an entirely different perspective.” An aid to meditation: “Zen gardens serve as perfect backdrops to empty ourselves of our own frivolous clutter, our clung-to experiences and passionately-held views”
Raku: Drinking Tea as Art and Meditation
Drawing with Zen Mind
Mountain
yhpargotohp nez
Wabi Sabi… or Not?
Modernism: Antithesis or Collaborator?
Modern wabi-sabi or Wabi-sabi modern?