Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
what it is meant to be and not elaborated upon. Direct and simple way, without
being flashy. Elegant simplicity, articulate brevity. The term is sometimes used
today to describe something cool but beautifully minimalist, including technology
and some consumer products. (Shibui literally means bitter tasting.)
4.
Shizen ( ):
Naturalness. Absence of pretense or artificiality, full creative intent
unforced. Ironically, the spontaneous nature of the Japanese garden the viewer
perceives is not accidental. This is a reminder that design is not an accident, even
when we are trying to create a natural-feeling environment. It is not raw nature as
such, but one with more purpose and intention.
5.
Y gen ( ):
Profundity or suggestion rather than revelation. A Japanese garden,
for example, can be described as a collection of subtleties and symbolic elements.
Photographers and designers can surely think of many ways to visually imply more
by not showing the whole, that is, showing more by showing less.
6.
Datsuzoku ( ):
Freedom from habit or formula. Escape from the daily routine
or the ordinary. Unworldly. Transcending the conventional. This principle describes
the feeling of surprise and a bit of amazement when people realize they can have
freedom from the conventional. Professor Tierney says that the Japanese garden
itself, “...made with the raw materials of nature and its success in revealing the
essence of natural things to us is an ultimate surprise. Many surprises await at
almost every turn in a Japanese Garden.”
7.
Seijaku ( ):
Tranquility or an energized calm (quiet), stillness, solitude. This is
related to the feeling you may have when in a Japanese garden. The opposite
feeling to one expressed by seijaku is noise and disturbance. How might we bring
a feeling of “active calm” and stillness to ephemeral designs outside the Zen arts?
8.
Wa ( ):
Harmony, peace, balance. Wa is the character that designates something
as Japanese or Japanese-made such as in washoku (food), washitsu (room style),
wafuku (traditional clothes), wagasa (traditional umbrella), and so on. The idea of
harmony and balance is fundamental to Japanese culture and human relationships.
Harmony is a key aspect of design sensibilities in Japan. Aesthetically, wa is
fundamental to all good design.
9.
Ma ( ):
Empty, spatial void, interval of space or time. The concept of ma can be
found in many of the Zen arts, including traditional gardens and ikebana, Noh
theater, and so on. Ma does not just mean the kind of empty space that is
background; the emptiness is often arranged to be a focal point. Ma allows for an
energy or sense of movement within a design. Ma may show itself in traditional
music in the form of silence or pauses. In ikebana the idea of emptiness allows for
each flower to breathe and also reveals the contrasts and the balance found in the
asymmetrical arrangement.
10.
Yohaku-no-bi ( ):
Appreciation of the beauty found in that portion that is
implied, unstated, or unexpressed in a work of art. An idea close to the modern
idea of “less is more.” Its focus is on what was left out. Related to the Zen ideal of
ku (emptiness) and mu (nothingness). You can see the ideal expressed in Zen
gardens that feature large sections of raked sand or gravel and in ink paintings
that leave large sections of the paper untouched. The term literally means “beauty
of extra white.” Although the term dates back centuries, you still hear it today.
