Wabi What? (Wabi-Sabi)

Wabi What?


Like Feng Shui, wabi sabi is an Eastern idea gaining popularity in the West. Unlike Feng Shui, wabi sabi is not a technique for increasing wealth, or tapping into some unseen mystical power. It is quite the opposite. It is an intuitive way of living that involves noticing the moments that make life rich and paying attention to the simple pleasures that can be over-shadowed by the bustle and excess of our consumer society.

It started with tea. In Japan, in the Middle Ages, nobles and military leaders strengthened political alliances by throwing elaborate tea parties in which expensive teapots and tea-making utensils were displayed and given as gifts. These ostentatious events focused on expensive Chinese art and tea objects and were the exclusive territory of the rich. Zen monks, who had brought tea to Japan in the first place, continued to develop a tea ceremony called wabi tea, which emphasized a different kind of wealth. Their ceremony used rustic Japanese pottery and focused on the natural elements used in making tea. It allowed participants to connect with the pleasure of drinking tea and provided a tranquil space in which to appreciate natural beauty.

The tea masters who preformed these ceremonies situated their tea huts in the middle of gardens and crafted their ceremonies to be rich in symbolic meaning. They practiced making tea until they could do it without thinking about it. Then, when they served tea to others, they were free to focus their attention entirely on their guests without being distracted by the preparation process. The most famous tea master was Sen no Rikyu who took wabi tea to a new level of subtlety thanks to the patronage of the Shogun Oda Nobunaga. Nobunaga used both forms of tea ceremony to unify Japan. Three of Rikyu's principle students were devout Christians: Furuta Oribe, Takayama Ukon, and Gamou Ujisato. They discovered that the way of tea enriched their own faith because it provided a concrete example of selfless attention to others. By learning to serve so well that you no longer need to think about what you are doing, you are free to focus on your guests.

Sabi is a word that originated in Japanese poetry. It expresses the feeling you get in the autumn when the geese are flying south and the leaves are falling. It is a sort of somber longing that is felt in the muted colors and earthy aroma of a forest preparing for winter. This melancholy ache is a sort of hopeful sadness that recognizes that nothing is perfect, nothing lasts, and nothing is finished, but that even so, life is full of meaning. The complete term 'wabi sabi' describes a way of life practiced by those who notice and appreciate the significant moments of each day, live fully in each change of season, and connect with nature and those around them in meaningful and gentle ways.(This article first appeared in the Nanaimo Daily News - Saturday, January 24, 2004.)

Fuente: http://www.stillinthestream.com/Files/wabiwhat.html

Wabi Sabi - A Culture of Simplicity

A CULTURE OF SIMPLICITY Leonard Koren

Zen simplicity, wabi tea bowl. Photograph: Sakamoto Photo Research/Corbis

The sixteenth-century Japanese tea master and Zen monk, Sen no Rikyu, refined the culture of wabi-sabi.

• Wabi-sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.
  
  
• It is a beauty of things modest and humble.
  
  
• It is a beauty of things unconventional.
  
  
• Wabi-sabi is a nature-based aesthetic paradigm that restores a measure of sanity and proportion to the art of living.
  
  
• Wabi-sabi — deep, multi-dimensional, elusive — is the perfect antidote to the pervasively slick, saccharine, corporate style of beauty.
  
  
• Get rid of all that is unnecessary. Wabi-sabi means treading lightly on the planet and knowing how to appreciate whatever is encountered, no matter how trifling, whenever it is encountered. "Material poverty, spiritual richness" are wabi-sabi bywords. In other words, wabi-sabi tells us to stop our preoccupation with success — wealth, status, power and luxury — and enjoy the unencumbered life.
  
  
• Obviously, leading the simple wabi-sabi life requires some effort and will and also some tough decisions. Wabi-sabi acknowledges that just as it is important to know when to make choices, it is also important to know when not to make choices: to let things be. Even at the most austere level of material existence, we still live in a world of things. Wabi-sabi is exactly about the delicate balance between the pleasure we get from things and the pleasure we get from freedom from things.
  
  
• Mud, paper and bamboo have more intrinsic wabi-sabi qualities than do gold, silver and diamonds.
  

Sen no Rikyu is permitted to learn The Way of Tea

Sen no Rikyu desired to learn The Way of Tea. He visited the Tea Master, Takeno Joo. Joo ordered Rikyu to tend the garden. Eagerly Rikyu set to work. He raked the garden until the ground was in perfect order. When he had finished he surveyed his work. He then shook the cherry tree, causing a few flowers to fall at random onto the ground. The Tea Master Joo admitted Rikyu to his school. Rikyu in due course became a great Tea Master. It was he who introduced the concept of wabi-sabi, or elegant simplicity.

• "Greatness" exists in the inconspicuous and overlooked details. Wabi-sabi represents the exact opposite of the Western ideal of great beauty as something monumental, spectacular and enduring. Wabi-sabi is about the minor and the hidden, the tentative and the ephemeral: things so subtle and evanescent they are invisible to vulgar eyes.
  
  
• Like homoeopathic medicine, the essence of wabi-sabi is apportioned in small doses. As the dose decreases, the effect becomes more potent, more profound. The closer things get to nonexistence, the more exquisite and evocative they become. Consequently, to experience wabi-sabi means you have to slow down, be patient and look very closely.
  
  
• Things wabi-sabi are unpretentious, unstudied and inevitable looking. They do not blare out "I am important" or demand to be the centre of attention. They are understated and unassuming, yet not without presence or quiet authority. Things wabi-sabi easily coexist with the rest of their environment.
  
  
• Things wabi-sabi are appreciated only during direct contact and use; they are never locked away in a museum. Things wabi-sabi have no need for the reassurance of status or the validation of market culture. They have no need for documentation of provenance.
  
  
• Things wabi-sabi can appear coarse and unrefined. They are usually made from materials not far removed from their original condition within, or upon, the Earth and are rich in raw texture and rough tactile sensation. Their craftsmanship may be impossible to discern.
  
  
• Simplicity is at the core of things wabi-sabi. The essence of wabi-sabi, as expressed in tea, is simplicity itself: fetch water, gather firewood, boil the water, prepare tea, and serve it to others.
  
  
• The simplicity of wabi-sabi is best described as the state of grace arrived at by a sober, modest, heartfelt intelligence. The main strategy of this intelligence is economy of means. Pare down to the essence, but don’t remove the poetry. Keep things clean and unencumbered, but don’t sterilize. (Things wabi-sabi are emotionally warm, never cold.) Usually this implies a limited palette of materials. It also means keeping conspicuous features to a minimum. But it doesn’t mean removing the invisible connective tissue that somehow binds the elements into a meaningful whole. It also doesn’t mean in any way diminishing something’s "interestingness", the quality that compels us to look at that something over, and over, and over again.

A comparison between modernism and wabi-sabi.
Modernism	Wabi-Sabi
A logical, rational world-view Absolute Looks for universal, prototypical solutions Mass-produced/ modula Expresses faith in progres Future-oriented Believes in the control of nature Romanticizes technology People adapting to machines Geometric organization of form (sharp, precise, and edges) The box as metaphor (rectilinear, precise, contained) Artificial materials Ostensibly slick Needs to be well-maintained Is intolerant of ambiguity and contradiction Everlasting	An intuitive world-view Relative Looks for personal, idiosyncratic solutions One-of-a-kind/variable There is no progress Present-oriented Believes in the fundamental uncontrollability of nature Romanticizes nature People adapting to nature Organic organization of form (soft, vague shapes and edges) The bowl as metaphor (free shape, open at top) Natural materials Ostensibly crude Accommodates to degradation and attrition Is comfortable with ambiguity and contradiction To every thing there is a season

Edited extracts from Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers by Leonard Koren, $14.95. To obtain a copy of the book write to: Stone Bridge Press, PO Box 8208, Berkeley, CA 94707, USA. ISBN 1-880656-12-4.

Fuente: http://www.resurgence.org/resurgence/issues/koren203.htm

Wabi-Sabi: belleza de lo imperfecto, lo impermanente y lo incompleto.

Otro interesante artículo sobre Wabi-Sabi:

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Wabi-Sabi: belleza de lo imperfecto, lo impermanente y lo incompleto.

Acabo de terminar la lectura de Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers. Lo leí por recomendación (y préstamo) de mi amigo (y ahora socio) Jesús. Y yo, a su vez, se lo recomiendo a los pocos que seguís pasando por aquí de vez en cuando.

Wabi-Sabi es un concepto japonés que hace referencia a la belleza de lo imperfecto, lo impermanente y lo incompleto.

Nada es perfecto en la naturaleza, al menos en el sentido geométrico-euclidiano en que lo concibe occidente. Nada es impermanente porque todo está en proceso, todo en la vida nace o muere. Y nada es completo porque si lo fuera, sería perfecto y permanente, porque la completitud no existe en la naturaleza; es sólo una abstracción ideada por el hombre.

Esta estética, surgida alrededor de la vieja ceremonia del té, tiene mucho de melancólico y otoñal. Es la estética de los objetos que envejecen con el uso, que están hechos de materiales orgánicos, que tienen vida propia.

Wabi-Sabi es la madera, el metal oxidado, el cáñamo, la tela cruda, la cerámica...

Lo que más me sorprendió del libro fue la comparación que hace el autor entre el Wabi-Sabi y la "estética modernista" nacida en Europa con la Bauhaus y reivindicada por la Escuela de Ulm (encarnada en la Braun):

Similitudes:

• las dos se refieren a cualquier objeto, espacio o diseño creado por el hombre
  
• las dos surgen como reacciones contundentes contra las sensibilidades establecidas. El modernismo surge contra el eclecticismo y el clasicismo del s. XIX; el Wabi-Sabi surge por oposición al perfeccionismo chino del s. XVI
  
• las dos evitan cualquier ornamentación que no es consustancial a la estructura.
  
• ambas son representaciones abstractas de la belleza
  
• ambas son claramente identificables por las superficies de sus objetos: el modernismo es pulido, limpio y regular; el Wabi-Sabi es rugoso, imperfecto y crudo.

  
  Principales diferencias:

• El modernismo implica una visión del mundo racional, el Wabi-Sabi propone una visión intuitiva.
  
• El modernismo propone principios absolutos; el Wabi-Sabi los propone relativos.
  
• El modernismo busca productos fabricables en serie, reproducciones exaxctas; el Wabi-Sabi produce objetos únicos y artesanales.
  
• El modernismo expresa su fe en el progreso y mira al futuro; para el Wabi-Sabi no hay progreso ni futuro.
  
• El modernismo se basa en la organización geométrica de la forma; el Wabi-Sabi se basa en la forma orgánica.
  
• El modernismo usa materiales artificiales; el Wabi-Sabi usa materiales naturales.
  
• El modernismo se expresa desde la pureza; en el Wabi-Sabi la corrosión y la degradación enriquecen la expresión.
  
• El modernismo es luminoso y brillante; el Wabi-Sabi es oscuro y mate.
  
• etc.
  

El libro me ha recordado la casa del pueblo de mis abuelos. Siempre me gustó fijarme en las herramientas de labranza, en cómo envejecían y eran más agradables cuanto más viejas. La madera se iba puliendo con el uso, el metal de las azadas se corroía por unos sitios y se pulía por los otros, por los que tocaban la tierra. Todas esas herramientas envejecían y lo hacían con mucha dignidad.

Tom Kelley, de IDEO, decía en algún sitio que las personas desarrollamos vínculos emocionales con los productos que envejecen con nosotros (los pantalones vaqueros, las cámaras de fotos, los coches...). El desgaste que experimentan nos recuerda que han vivido con nosotros, que nos han acompañado de cerca.

Los productos de hoy en día envejecen fatal. Quizás porque abusan del plástico, porque apenas tienen materiales orgánicos. Quizás si hubiera más tela o más madera en los gadgets de hoy en día... Quizás si las cámaras digitales tuvieran cuero como las de antes, o el scrollwheel del iPod se desgastase con el uso...

Fuente: http://www.terremoto.net/x/archivos/000237.html

Wabi-Sabi II

Wabi Sabi en Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi

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Wabi-sabi (in Kanji: 侘寂) represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centred on the acceptance of transience. The phrase comes from the two words wabi and sabi. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" (according to Leonard Koren in his book Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers). It is a concept derived from the Buddhist assertion of the Three marks of existence — Anicca, or in Japanese, 無常 (mujyou), impermanence.

According to Koren, wabi-sabi is the most conspicuous and characteristic feature of what we think of as traditional Japanese beauty and it "occupies roughly the same position in the Japanese pantheon of aesthetic values as do the Greek ideals of beauty and perfection in the West." Andrew Juniper claims, "if an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing, then that object could be said to be wabi-sabi." Richard R. Powell summarizes by saying "It (wabi-sabi) nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect."

The words wabi and sabi do not translate easily. Wabi originally referred to the loneliness of living in nature, remote from society; sabi meant "chill", "lean" or "withered". Around the 14th century these meanings began to change, taking on more positive connotations.^[1] Wabi now connotes rustic simplicity, freshness or quietness, and can be applied to both natural and human-made objects, or understated elegance. It can also refer to quirks and anomalies arising from the process of construction, which add uniqueness and elegance to the object. Sabi is beauty or serenity that comes with age, when the life of the object and its impermanence are evidenced in its patina and wear, or in any visible repairs.

Wabi and sabi both suggest sentiments of desolation and solitude. In the Mahayana Buddhist view of the universe, these may be viewed as positive characteristics, representing liberation from a material world and transcendence to a simpler life. Mahayana philosophy itself, however, warns that genuine understanding cannot be achieved through words or language, so accepting wabi-sabi on nonverbal terms may be the most appropriate approach.

The wabi and sabi concepts are religious in origin, but actual usage of the words in Japanese is often quite casual. The syncretic nature of Japanese belief systems should be noted.

A very simple translation of wabi sabi would be, Sad Beauty

Contents [hide] 1 Wabi-sabi in Japanese arts 2 Western use 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Wabi-sabi in Japanese arts

Many Japanese arts over the past thousand years have been influenced by Zen and Mahayana philosophy, particularly acceptance and contemplation of the imperfection, constant flux, and impermanence of all things. Such arts can exemplify a wabi-sabi aesthetic. Here is an incomplete list:

• honkyoku (traditional shakuhachi music of wandering Zen monks)
• ikebana (flower arrangement)
• Japanese gardens, Zen gardens, and bonsai (tray gardens)
• Japanese poetry, particularly haiku
• Japanese pottery
• Japanese tea ceremony

[edit] Western use

During the 1990s the concept was borrowed by computer software developers and employed in Agile programming and Wiki wiki to describe acceptance of the state of ongoing imperfection that is the product of these methods.^[2]

Wabi Sabi I

Un artículo interesante acerca de Wabi Sabi

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Wabi Sabi

“Wabi-sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. It is a beauty of things modest and humble. It is a beauty of things unconventional.”

Parece que se ha puesto de moda. Artistas, diseñadores y fans varios de la estética zen en occidente descubren el viejo concepto japonés de 侘寂 (wabi sabi) tan nuestro como los almendros o el sashimi.

Algo está teniendo que ver el libro del que habla Javier Cañada en su blog: Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers de Leonard Koren (que no Cohen) que está teniendo mucho éxito y probablemente convirtiendo a Koren en el nuevo gurú occidental para aquellos asuntillos relacionados con el espíritu.

Aunque pueda parecer la oportunidad comercial de continuación del feng shui, tiene puntos suficientes para merecer nuestra atención por la recomendación de Javier, quien por cierto nos regala en su post un clarificador esquema de las similitudes y diferencias entre wabi-sabi y la estética modernista que hace Koren.

La estética wabi-sabi hace referencia a la belleza de lo imperfecto, lo impermanente y lo incompleto, al envejecimiento natural de los objetos orgánicos humildes, modestos y sencillos. El óxido del metal, la madera envejecida, la tela gastada o la vegetación espontánea en la construcción humana; aquello que inspira nostalgia espiritual y melancolía otoñal.

Wabi, que en un principio significaba algo así como la soledad de vivir en la naturaleza, pasó a referirse más bien a la simplicidad y tranquilidad de lo rústico y Sabi se refiere a la pátina de belleza y serenidad que trae el paso del tiempo.

Es complicado explicarlo de forma completa pero el interés suscitado es interesante y también sus aplicaciones al arte, siempre que no se caiga en la impostura de la adopción de estéticas y espiritualidades exóticas por el simple hecho de (de)mostrar lo chiripitiflauticamente cool que es uno.

Me ha gustado la reflexión final de Javier que recordaba la casa del pueblo de sus abuelos y como los objetos iban adquiriendo ese encanto especial con los años mientras que los objetos de hoy (quizás porque abusan del plástico) envejecen muy mal.

Es cierto, lo orgánico envejece con estilo pero creo que lo que ocurre hoy va inevitablemente unido a un estilo de vida en el que ya sea por la precariedad de los sueldos o por el nomadismo de búsqueda del sagrado, se impone un universo de objetos de corta vida, mal envejecimiento y a veces pésima calidad. Ikea y Zara por ejemplo: artículos “baratos” que duran un año.

Puede que lo mejor para estas vidas que llevamos sea algo intermedio. Dentro de lo posible (y sin dejar nunca de buscar Sión) no escatimar en gastos para una cuidada y pequeña selección de objetos con los que se produzca una mayor o más intensa relación y aprovechar los productos de los grandes monstruos en los inevitables momentos de transición, en los que siempre se está más comodo con una mesa donde comer y un sofá para los invitados.

Artículo Original: http://tetsuo.lamatriz.org/wabi-sabi