Taoism furnished the basis for aesthetic ideals, zen made them practical. - Kakuzo Okakura, Japanese scholar who contributed to the development of arts in Japan
It is the harmony of the diverse parts, their symmetry, their happy balance; in a word it is all that introduces order, all that gives unity, that permits us to see clearly and to comprehend at once both the ensemble and the details. - Jules H. Poincare, French mathematician and theoretical physicist, philosopher of science
The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty “He [Soetsu Yanagi] searchd his way through the developments of Buddhist thought- Zen first, for the lone seeker, followed by Jodo Shinshu and Jishu for the many, the two aspets called jiriki (self power) and tariki (other power) repectively. Finally he reached that point where the apparent difference is fused and cancelled out. That led him to the concideration of beauty and ugliness in art and the the need of an aesthetic that embraces both.” The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty, Bernard Leach, Adapter; Soetsu Yanagi, Author, Kodansha International, 1990, 0870119486
Balance - loud/quiet, soft/hard, meditative/brash, subtle/in your face, reverent/regressive, edifying representation/biting commentary. Where am I? How much can I get away/how much do I want to get away with? Shock/whisper? Frying pan/tweezers.
“Peace is not something you wish for; It's something you make, Something you do, Something you are, And something you give away.”
“Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A beauty bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air - explode softly - and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth - boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn't go cheap, either - not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination.” - Robert Fulghum, American author, 1937 -
“Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.” - Malcolm X, African-American Muslim minister, public speaker, and human rights activist, 1925 - 1965
“Deep experience is never peaceful.” - Henry James, American author, 1843 – 1916
Buddha mind in Contemporary Art-Jacquelynn Baas, Mary Jane Jacob I haven't read this book yet, but it seems like it would fit the bill nicely. [from Amazon] Elucidating the common ground between the creative mind, the perceiving mind, and the meditative mind, the contributors tackle essential questions about the relationship of art and life. Among the writers are curators, art critics, educators, and Buddhist commentators in psychology, literature, and cognitive science. They consider the many Western artists today who recognize the Buddhist notion of emptiness, achieved through focused meditation, as a place of great creative potential for the making and experiencing of art. The artists featured in the interviews, all internationally recognized, include Maya Lin, Bill Viola, and Ann Hamilton.
In an ongoing attempt to reinvigorate my sense and desire for my art to be edifying, uplifting, and refreshing, I've chosen “peace” as my word for the week. Perhaps there is a zen-like quality to harnessing the peace and stillness I long for myself and instilling it into my work. Hope, Peace, and even love- is it possible to make work like this? Is Rothko's work peaceful? How about Sugimoto's? Bill Viola = peace? Are there universals in art that result in a majority of people reading a certain piece to be peaceful? Perhaps just a select few will receive peace. Perhaps they are the ones that need it the most? Maybe the word i should do is "calm"?
Mark Rothko
Bill Viola
Hiroshi Sugimoto
How about Risaku Suzuki?
Rinko Kawauchi
Orie Ichihashi
Junko Ohara
Do the Japanese have monopoly on peace?
How about James Turrell
Does it matter that some lady was so enraptured by his work that she lost her balance and broke her arm? Is it possible to break a bone peacefully?
And back to sound, what do you think of this piece? Peaceful? or just sleepy?
Distortion is a constant and our eyes are easily deceived. - Taryn Simon, TED Global 2009
“Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Alice. “Now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that ever was! Good-bye, feet!” - Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Macmillam, 1865
Embracing the diversity of human beings is the only way we will find our way to happiness. - Malcolm Gladwell, TED TALK 2004
Thousands of lights are beautiful. One light lets you imagine the person who’s there. - Fujii Tamotsu, “Akari”, 2005, ISBN4-89815-150-7
Rather than laugh-out-loud funny, the humor they put into play tends to be quietly corosive. A vein of nullity and nihilism runs through it. - Ralph Rugof, “Liquid Humor” I Love My Time, I Don’t Like My Time, Hatje Cantz, 2004
Humor can provide information about oneself that one would rather not have. It reminds one that one is a person that one would rather not be. - Simon Critchley, “Laughing at Foreigners: A Peculiar Defence of Ethnic Humour”, Laughing in a Foreign Language, Hayward Publishing, 2008, 978 1 85332 266 2
Admittedly, these quotes seem quite disparate. From humor, to zen, to realistic cynicism, to Gladwell’s very “Miss America” diversity = happiness; these quotes touch the the current tips of my interests and directions. I feel that I’m currently being washed about in the tsunami of information and data that innundates me. I can’t make heads or tails of current issues, the truth behind corporate/government policy, the moral/culture clash of the west and the middle east. The Wars on Terror and Climate Change. I’m drowning in an ever-deepening sea of highly specific buzzwords and activist slogans, not to mention the ever-escalating bombardment of advertising I wade through almost zombie-like.
These quotes represent the shards of a fragmented core; the possible paths I might take through the mire - corrosive humor? Medidative peacefulness? Equal opportunity embracing? Cynical realism?
I’m sure diferent pieces will move in different directions, but at the moment, these quotes are arrows on a sign post in the muck.
