Thursday, April 09, 2015

Exploring the Japanese Aesthetic

Diving into the Japanese aesthetic has brought a lot of fun to the studios the last few weeks.  We have been exploring the three different facets to the aesthetic: mono no aware, yugen, and wabi sabi.  The journey has taken us into some light and shadow play, charcoal drawings, and a little bit of film.  Because much of the aesthetic comments on the idea of impermanence, the process has consequently been quite meditative.  There is a deepened sense of concentration that has arisen in the studio from really delving into the understanding of this concept of impermanence and imperfection.  In the process of perfecting our craft, we are somehow also learning the importance and beauty of imperfection.  Below is a snippet from our rehearsal the other day, playing with this idea of imperfection through charcoal drawing and film.