STATEMENT OF GRANT PURPOSE Example #3 - risd/careers

STATEMENT OF GRANT PURPOSE Example #3
Material Objects and the Significance of Cultural Aesthetics
Japan’s cultural and aesthetic heritage is deeply threatened by globalization and
modern development. Two hundred years of Japanese seclusion, which ended in 1858,
made Japan the definitive case study of the enduring collision of eastern and western
schools of thought. Japan’s current position at the cutting edge of technology and modern
living obscures a rich past steeped in an unyielding reverence for nature. A resulting
clash between past and present ways of life has given way to a precarious discord. This
becomes apparent in the subtleties of everyday aesthetics. Often overlooked nuances in
the worn texture of old, yet trusty objects give life and meaning to the mundane. Through
this project, I will collaborate with a traditional Japanese woodworking school, a Zen
monastery, local artisans, designers and design firms to learn traditional skills
and study modern Japanese design under the context of profound cultural and historic
immersion. By studying the material goods and design objects being produced today in
addition to exploring Japan’s cultural and aesthetic background, I will examine how
Japan’s heritage has infiltrated today’s modern globalized world and attempt to see if it
can still apply as an appropriate philosophical and aesthetic outlook.
Wabi Sabi, one of ancient Japan’s primary aesthetic and philosophical world
views, is a cornerstone of traditional Japanese art, culture, and life. It is an aesthetic
expression which translates the values of Zen Buddhism into artistic manifestations. Like
the Zen principles of spontaneity and living in the moment, Wabi Sabi utilizes natural
processes resulting in objects that are irregular, humble, imbalanced, and indistinct while
reflecting an impermanence that is nonetheless pleasant and inspiring. Through Wabi
Sabi one learns to embrace both the beauty and the melancholy found in imprints of
passing time. Wabi Sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple
realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect. Accordingly, objects
that are worn by overuse or have certain sentimental qualities are appreciated most. A
brand new bowl is not as valued as an older one, despite the older one’s mended cracks
and obvious flaws. These weathered objects, although being visually and often physically
crude, speak strongly at an emotional level.
Wabi Sabi best describes the world as “either devolving toward, or evolving from
nothingness”, illustrating an unwavering reverence for impermanence and constant
change. This, perhaps, is what is most pertinent to today’s society, which is in a state of
constant and increasingly rapid flux. The lengthy historical prevalence of Wabi Sabi and
its permeation into nearly all Japanese art forms through the years has left an indelible
mark on Japanese aesthetic appreciation. In recent generations, Wabi Sabi has been
relegated to a novelty and has little bearing on the design of new objects. Production
costs and deceptive marketing schemes play the predominant role, resulting in designs
that lack intimacy. Objects produced today are made to be defunct or perceived as
undesirable within a very short time span; this planned obsolescence creates so much
unnecessary waste and is entirely unsustainable. As an ideology removed from the
commercial world, Wabi Sabi offers an alternative to these poorly designed and mass
produced objects.

There exists little doubt over the gravity of the environmental crisis. I believe that
in the near future, as companies are ever more pressured by consumer awareness and
government intervention to make products sustainable, the main issue will be to find a
way to seamlessly align the interests of business, product, and sustainability. My goal is
to prove that Wabi Sabi ideals and their application in daily life can serve as a fitting
solution to the ecological predicament. I will demonstrate this by implementing
traditional Wabi Sabi principles into modern life via the creation of functional objects
designed with a strict adherence to these precepts. Though it is impossible to design Wabi
Sabi into something, as this is an essence derived through use, my line of objects will be
designed with the capacity to become Wabi Sabi, predisposed to essential
Wabi Sabi ideals. Through this fusion of old and new, the philosophical and the practical,
I will take into account new materials that fit into Wabi Sabi ideology, as well as new
processes, technologies, and applications to satisfy the needs of today’s consumers.
Through my connection with Shinrin Takumi Juku, a renowned woodworking
school in Takayama , as well as with local artisans and designers, I will design and
fabricate functional objects that will not only pay homage to Japan’s history, but merge it
together with modern needs, practices, and concepts to forge a working relationship for
the future, ensuring Japan’s rich heritage is not lost, but fully embraced and appropriately
integrated into today’s ever changing high tech society.
At Shinrin Takumi Juku, I will engage in a rigorous traditional woodworking
experience, learning new skills that will bolster my existing knowledge of woodworking.
Approved by Osamu Shoji, the head professor of the school, I will enroll as a fulltime
student during the upcoming school year. As the learning process revolves around
demonstration and then implementation by students, any language barrier can be
overcome; additionally, most professors can communicate effectively in English and
there have been many successful English-only speaking interns in past years. My
intention at Shinrin Takumi Juku is to learn a traditional skill set that will enable me to
craft my line of objects in a culturally sensitive way, and to dynamically examine
the aesthetic values of traditional Japanese woodworking. I will augment my year of
academic study with frequent trips to Tokyo and Osaka to meet with practicing designers
and design firms, and to grasp a divergent yet relevant point of view. Concurrently, I will
have access to an extensive woodshop and will execute the tangible part of my project
using the tools and machinery at my disposal.
Prior to the start of the school year, I will spend a month living at Sogenji
Monastery, a Rinzai Zen temple in Okayama, Japan. The Rinzai school of Zen is marked
by the emphasis it places on “kensho”, seeing one's true nature through enlightenment, as
well as the rigor and severity of its training methods. As I take part in serious monastic
practice, I will experience firsthand the way of life most akin to Wabi Sabi. Since its
inception as a distinct aesthetic mode, Wabi Sabi has been linked with Zen Buddhism as
it embodies many of Zen’s core philosophical principles. My connection is Daichi, an
English speaking nun at Sogenji, who is also an artist trained as a potter. I will utilize her
connections to local potters and visit the workshops and studios of these traditional
craftsmen, and to become acquainted with their artistic pursuits. I believe this experience
will deeply affect my perception and understanding of a true Wabi Sabi lifestyle, as
essentials are eliminated and I enter, even though for just a short while, a life not

equiring any money, training, knowledge, or special skills. I hope that by the end of this
month, I will be open enough to understand unconventional beauty,
willing to accept things as they naturally are, and be able to focus on appreciating rather
than perfecting.
Material Objects and the Significance of Cultural Aesthetics is a celebration of
Japan’s cultural legacy. As a young designer fascinated and inspired by the uniqueness
and relevance of cultural aesthetics, I am fearful that they are becoming lost amidst the
cheapness and convenience of modern times. My investigation proposes ways of ensuring
cultural survival and recognizes the profound solutions this facilitates to problems
brought on by globalization and industrialization. This is a project of experience,
understanding, expansion, and a passionate objective that would forever shape my view
of the importance of objects and the role they play in a greater discourse of design.