November 22, 2009
UTNE READER

Exquisite decay

(Page 2 of 2)

September/October 2001
By Leonard Koren, Utne Reader 
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All things are imperfect.

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Nothing that exists is without imperfections. When we look closely at things, we see the flaws. The sharp edge of a razor blade, when it is magnified, reveals pits, chips, and variegations. And as things begin to break down and approach the primordial state, they become even less perfect, more irregular, and perhaps more lovely.All things are incomplete.All things, including the universe itself, are in a constant, never-ending state of becoming or dissolving. Often we arbitrarily designate moments, points along the way, as "finished." But when is a plant complete? When it flowers? When it goes to seed? When the seeds sprout? When everything turns into compost?Wabi-sabi represents the exact opposite of the Western ideal of great beauty as something monumental, spectacular, and enduring. Wabi-sabi is found in nature not at moments of bloom and lushness, but at moments of inception or subsiding. Wabi-sabi is not about gorgeous flowers, majestic trees, or bold landscapes. Wabi-sabi is about the minor and the hidden, the tentative and the ephemeral: things so subtle and evanescent they are almost invisible at first glance.Like homeopathic medicine, the essence of wabi-sabi is apportioned in small doses. As the dose decreases, the effect becomes more potent, more profound. The closer things get to nonexistence, the more exquisite and evocative they can become. Consequently, to experience wabi-sabi, you have to slow way down, be patient, and look very closely.

Leonard Koren lives in San Francisco and Tokyo. Trained as an architect and artist, he created the 1970s avant-garde magazine WET: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing. He is the author of several books. Exquisite Decay was excerpted from Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers (Stone Bridge, 1994). Based in Berkeley, California, Stone Bridge Press has been publishing books about Japanese culture for 11 years (www.stonebridge.com).

Discuss Wabi-sabi at the Globe forum in Cafe Utne: cafe.utne.com

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