8/15/2023 0 Comments Define zen sceneryThe ideals of wabi-sabi are most applicable to disciplines such as architecture, interior design, and the fine arts. Some Westerners may be familiar with the term wabi-sabi through wabi-sabi-inspired design, a kind of earthy interior design that is balanced, organic, free from clutter and chaos, and somehow quite beautiful in its simple presentation, never appearing ostentatious or decorated. These two concepts come together to give us an appreciation for the grace and beauty of a scene or a work of art while remaining fully aware of its ephemerality and impermanence. Sabi means “loneliness” or “solitude,” the feeling you might have while walking alone on a deserted beach deep in contemplation. There is an inward feeling of something higher. Wabi means “poverty” or lacking material wealth and all its possessions yet, at the same time, feeling free from dependence on worldly things, including social status. The ideals of wabi-sabi come from Japan, and the origins are based on keen observations of nature. While studying sado, I began to appreciate the aesthetic simplicity of the ritual, an art that is an expression of fundamental Zen principles such as purity, tranquility, a respect for nature, and the desire to live in harmony with it. I first learned of wabi-sabi while studying sado (Japanese tea ceremony) many years ago in the Shimokita Hanto of Aomori, a rural part of northern Japan-a perfect place to experience traditional Japanese values and concepts. Naturalness (i.e., nothing artificial or forced)Īll of these principles can be applied to slide design, Web design, and so on. Suggestion (rather than literal description) The Zen aesthetic values include (but are not limited to) the following: Instead, the combination of your words, along with the visual images you project, should motivate the viewer and arouse his imagination, helping him to empathize with your idea and visualize it beyond what is visible in the ephemeral PowerPoint slide before him. You do not need to pound every detail into the head of each member of your audience either visually or verbally. In the world of slide presentations, you do not always need to visually spell everything out. Less color-subdued and elegant usage of color, less clutter.” This is the original ‘less is more’ concept. The highest level of taste moves beyond the usage of brilliant colors and heavy ornamentation to a simple and subdued refinement that is the beauty of shibumi, which represents the ultimate in good taste through conscious reserve. “Their (Japanese) conceptualization relegates elaborate ornamentation and vivid color usage to the bottom of the taste levels…excess requires no real thought or creativity. In Wabi-Sabi Style (Gibbs Smith Publishers), authors James and Sandra Crowley comment on the Japanese deep appreciation of beauty in this sense: Concerning visual communication and graphic design, shibumi represents elegant simplicity and articulate brevity, an understated elegance. Shibumi is a principle that can be applied to many aspects of life. Kawana, commenting on the design of traditional Japanese gardens, says, “The designer must adhere to the concept of miegakure since Japanese believe that in expressing the whole, the interest of the viewer is lost.” Shibumi (Elegance) The suggestive mode of expression is a key Zen aesthetic. Complication and elaboration are easy…and common. Graphic designers show restraint by including only what is necessary to communicate the particular message for the particular audience. The best musicians, for example, know never to overplay but instead to be forever mindful of the other musicians and find their own space within the music and the moment they are sharing. The aesthetic concept of naturalness or shizen “prohibits the use of elaborate designs and over refinement,” according to Dr. Koichi Kawana, “Simplicity means the achievement of maximum effect with minimum means.” When you examine your visuals, then, can you say that you are getting the maximum impact with a minimum of graphic elements, for example? Take a moment to consider the slides that you have used in the past-did they embody the spirit of kanso? Shizen (Naturalness) In the kanso concept, beauty and visual elegance are achieved by elimination and omission. Kanso (Simplicity)Ī key tenet of the Zen aesthetic is kanso or simplicity. Still, we can look to some of the concepts in the Zen aesthetic to help us improve our own visuals with an eye toward simplicity. Zen itself is not concerned with judging this design to be good or that design to be bad. Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery, 3rd Edition
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