WABI SABI

THE BEAUTY OF THINGS IMPERFECT

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 BOOK

WABI SABI FOR ARTISTS, DESIGNERS, POETS AND

PHILOSOPHERS: LEONARD KOREN

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 IT’S ABOUT BEAUTY

THE BEAUTY OF THINGS MODEST AND HUMBLE

THE BEAUTY OF THE UNCONVENTIONAL

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 FROM THE INTRODUCTION:

HOW TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL THINGS WITHOUT GETTING

CAUGHT UP IN THE DISPIRITING MATERIALISM THAT
USUALLY SURROUNDS [CREATIVE] ACTS - AN ANTIDOTE
TO THE PERVASIVELY SLICK, SACCHARINE, CORPORATE
STYLE OF BEAUTY.

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 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 HAS

AFFECTED NEARLY EVERY ASPECT OF JAPANESE
CULTURE

THE CONTRIBUTION OF SIMPLICITY TO BEAUTY

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 LITERAL DEFINITION

WABI SABI IS DIFFICULT TO TRANSLATE

ROUGHLY MEANS RUSTIC

WABI: LIVING AWAY FROM SOCIETY AND ALONE WITH

NATURE

SABI: CHILL, LEAN, WITHERED

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 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

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 COMPARISON TO MODERNISM

MODERNISM:
THE DOMINANT AESTHETIC SENSIBILITY OF MID TO LATE
20TH CENTURY INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIALISED
SOCIETY

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 SIMILARITIES

BOTH APPLY TO ALL MANNER OF MANMADE OBJECTS,

SPACES AND DESIGNS

BOTH ARE STRONG REACTIONS AGAINST THE

DOMINANT, ESTABLISHED SENSIBILITIES OF THEIR TIME

MODERNISM REACTED AGAINST 19TH CENTURY

CLASSICISM AND ECLECTICISM

WABI SABI REACTED AGAINST CHINESE PERFECTION AND

GORGEOUSNESS OF 16TH CENTURY

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 SIMILARITIES (CONT.)

BOTH ESCHEW ANY DECORATION THAT IS NOT INTEGRAL

TO STRUCTURE

BOTH ARE ABSTRACT, NON-REPRESENTATIONAL IDEALS

OF BEAUTY

BOTH HAVE READILY IDENTIFIABLE SURFACE

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

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 DIFFERENCES

MODERNISM WABI SABI

Primarily public domain Private Domain

Logical, rational world view Intuitive worldview

Absolute Relative
Universal solutions/mass One of a kind/varible
produced
Faith in progress There is no progress

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 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

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 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

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 WABI SABI UNIVERSE

THINGS ARE EITHER DEVOLVING TOWARDS OR EVOLVING

FROM NOTHINGNESS

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 SPIRITUAL VALUES

TRUTH COMES FROM THE OBSERVATION OF NATURE

GREATNESS EXISTS IN THE INCONSPICUOUS AND

OVERLOOKED DETAILS

BEAUTY CAN BE COAXED OUT OF UGLYNESS

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 STATE OF MIND

ACCEPTANCE OF THE INEVITABLE

APPRECIATION OF THE COSMIC ORDER

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 MORAL PRECEPTS

GET RID OF ALL THAT IS UNNECESSARY

FOCUS ON THE INTRINSIC AND IGNORE MATERIAL

HIERARCHY

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 MATERIAL QUALITY

THE SUGGESTION OF A NATURAL PROCESS

IRREGULAR

INTEMATE

UNPRETENTIOUS

EARTHY

MURKY

SIMPLE

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 ON PERMANENCE:

ALL THINGS ARE IMPERMANENT. THE INCLINATION

TOWARD NOTHINGNESS IS UNRELENTING AND
UNIVERSAL. EVEN THINGS THAT HAVE ALL THE
EARMARKS OF SUBSTANCE – HARD, INERT, SOLID
PRESENT NOTHING MORE THAN THE ILLUSION OF
PERMANENCE

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 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. BEAUTY
CAN SPONTANEOUSLY OCCUR AT ANY MOMENT GIVEN
THE PROPER CIRCUMSTANCES, CONTEXT, OR POINT OF
VIEW. BEAUTY IS THUS AN ALTERED STATE OF
CONSCIOUSNESS, AN EXTRORDINARY MOMENT OF
POETRY AND GRACE.

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 ON DECAY:

THE CLOSER THINGS GET TO NONEXISTENCE, THE MORE

EXQUISITE AND EVOCATIVE THEY BECOME.

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 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 TO

FRUITION? IS THE PLANT COMPLETE WHEN IT FLOWERS?
WHEN IT GOES TO SEED? WHEN THE SEED SPROUTS?
WHEN EVERYTHING TURNS TO COMPOST? THE NOTION
OF COMPLETION HAS NO BASIS IN WABI-SABI.

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