Leonard
Koren
A Comparison With Modernism [of the wabi-sabi aesthetic]
| Modernism | wabi-sabi |
| Primarily expressed in the public domain. | Primarily expressed in the private domain. |
| Implies a logical, rational worldview | Implies an intuitive worldview |
| Absolute | Relative |
| Looks for universal, prototypical solutions | Looks for personal, idiosyncratic solutions |
| Mass-produced/modular | One-of-a-kind/variable |
| Expresses faith in progress | There is no progress |
| Future-oriented | Present-oriented |
| Believes in the control of nature | Believes in the fundamental uncontrollability of nature |
| Romanticizes technology | Romanticizes nature |
| People adapting to machines | People adapting to nature |
| Geometric organization of form (sharp, precise, definite shapes and edges) | Organic organization of form (soft, vague shapes and edges) |
| The box as metaphor (rectilinear, precise, contained) | The bowl as metaphor (free shape, open at the top) |
| Manmade materials | Natural materials |
| Ostensibly slick | Ostensibly crude |
| Needs to be well-maintained | Accommodates to degradation and attrition |
| Purity makes its expression richer | Corrosion and contamination make its expression richer |
| Solicits the reduction of sensory information | Solicits the expansion of sensory information |
| Is intolerant of amibiguity and contradiction | Is comfortable with amibiguity and contradiction |
| Cool | Warm |
| Generally light and bright | Generally dark and dim |
| Function and utility are primary values | Function and utility are not so important |
| Perfect materiality is an ideal | Perfect immateriality is an ideal |
| Everlasting | To every thing there is a season |
Wabi-sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers