the art of mortality - an introduction to wabi sabi

“Places of wabi-sabi are small, secluded, and private environments that enhance one’s capacity for metaphysical musings” - Leonard Koren

Wabi-Sabi is a philosophy, it is a way of life. Since it is a Japanese term, many readers will not have come across it before, however I believe that parts of it can be found in everyday life. It can be applied to all aspects of life, however, it is rarely applied and created. In truth it happens naturally, a process that happens over time and is unique. Wabi-Sabi is a very personal philosophy, treating life with no rock unturned. Yet it is also a style of aesthetics, the beauty in imperfection. It is the fine line separating beauty from shabbiness. The enhancement of the ravages of time, being at the threshold of demise. Perhaps this is just another definition of rustic, yet it has been given more reverence.

To try and define Wabi-Sabi is an almost pointless exercise. It is associated with Zen Buddhism, exemplifying many of its core philosophical tenets. The problem with it therefore is like most things Japanese, to leave the unexplainable unexplained. Zen teachings can only be taught from mind to mind, or discussed in the most poetic of manners. Even the majority of articles and books written on the subject are by gaijin (foreigners, non-Japanese). Many Japanese would think that Wabi-Sabi is too complex a topic to discuss, due to it having very broad meanings.

It is the expression of beauty that lies between the life and mortality of ourselves and the objects around us. The old, beaten and nicked piece of wood is enjoyed more than the slick, uniform, new piece of steel cladding. The piece of wood shows its age. It gives the viewer an idea of its place and time. Wabi-Sabi has the same amount of reverence that would be given to the Greek Ideals of beauty and perfection. It is an anti-aesthetic. In its creation it was a reaction against the over furnished Chinese style that was occupying 16th Century Japan. In a way, it has quite a lot of similarities to the “Modernist” movement which was a reaction to 19th Century classicism. Both Wabi-Sabi and “Modernism” are devoid of any decoration that is not structural. They deal with ideals of beauty, one polished and smooth, the other earthy and varied. A good example of an object with Wabi-Sabi would be a simple bamboo vase and a flower. The bamboo being hollow has inherent properties of containing. It’s exterior would show the life that the plant had. The implementation of the flower would show signs of life and eventually die away. These two objects combined are intrinsically Wabi-Sabi. On musing over the two objects, they would come to relate to our very own mortality. The bamboo vase would also be unique in the way that it would grow due to the sun orientation. The vase would have more life, character and warmth than a mass produced vase.

As contemporary architecture seems to deal heavily in minimalist spaces, they can appear clinical and sterile. Perhaps it may just be me, but it has been a while since I was in a space within a piece of contemporary architecture, and felt moved by it. Too many buildings in my opinion are becoming that of non-space and as such I find it hard to sit and contemplate in these spaces. Is Wabi-Sabi something we should incorporate in our architectural design?

Anthony Stafford - 3rd year student

Further reading -
- Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers by Leonard Koren, 1994, Stone Bridge Press, Berkeley CA
- Wabi Sabi the Japanese art of impermanence by Andrew Juniper, 2003, Tuttle Publishing, North Clarendon, Vermont
- Marcel Theroux made a BBC4 documentary entitled 'In Search of Wabi-Sabi.' You can find it here.

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