The Vertues of Aesthetics

THE VERTUES OF AESTHETICS by Miki Ueda

INTRODUCTION The Premise

In designing our environments to respond to the Anthropocene, we can learn from vernacular architecture as being a successful interpretation for how humans can manipulate their environment in ways that are necessary for the future. Just as language frames and loads a perceived message with connotations, aesthetics frames and loads perceived environments with connotations too. Likewise, aesthetics informs philosophy & politics and philosophy & politics informs aesthetics.1 Space is also integrally linked to political and social thought, where the concept of space embodies the question: ‘what does it mean to exist in the world’.2 Revaluing space as an experience would go a long way to constituting a new kind

of relationship that would foster more meaningful relationships between people and buildings, as well as the realtionship between people and the environment.3 The call to action is this: our built environment should revalue traditional aesthetics to re-instill the ecocentric sentiment that is inherent within traditional aesthetic philosophies.

In order to respond to the anthropocene ethically, we must halt the use of globalised aesthetic frameworks which alienate us, and individually tap back into the aesthetic vernacular philosophy from our own cultures to ground us of our fragile and humble role on earth.

1 Niels Skou and Anders V. Munch, “New Nordic And Scandinavian Retro: Reassessment Of Values And Aesthetics In Contemporary Nordic Design,” Journal Of Aesthetics & Culture 8, no. 1 (2016): 4.

2 Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen, “What about SPACE?” (Non) Essential Knowledge for (New) Architecture 15 (2013): 103.

3 Pelkonen, “What about SPACE?,” 107.

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DEPARTING GLOBAL A Crisis in Identity

I, myself, am a product of globalisation. I am a biracial Swedish Japanese, and have had an international upbringing, leading me to call many places my home yet experiencing no home at the same time. Because of this, I have an identity crisis on a daily basis.

Humans will always be curious about where they come from.

Some may call it an egoistic human tendency, but in reality this is larger.

Humans yearn to connect to their heritage because we are social animals; knowing that we belong within a community is a tool for survival.

Globalisation causes an identity crisis. If we all are being influenced by one culture, we dilute the nuances of various cultures until it ultimately vanishes and we lose our sense of self. Globalisation has put the world in a dangerous position, where systems and resources are being shared and propagated and have a larger outreach than ever before.

The rate of decline in biodiversity and the clear climatic changes which are happening makes it clear that we are existing in the human

induced global extinction event, the Anthropocene.1 Globalisation can be understood as an intervention which promegates an anthropocentric and technocentric understanding of the world, separating humans from nature.2 For example, the global use of reinforced concrete has been particularly impacted by the process of globalisation, as this construction system has been spread around the world. As a result, concrete has had a remarkable footprint on the management of the world’s resources. The particular danger which is inherent with construction techniques becoming rapidly widespread is that once the negative consequences for these building systems are discovered, it is particularly challenging to undo these processes. It is therefore necessary to have a level of diversity in architecture to ensure that, not if, but when, a particular system fails, that the consequence of this system is relatively unextreme. Much like the way biodiversity is Mother Nature’s strategy for designing resilience in ecosystems, our building strategies should follow suit.

1 Paul Crutzen, “The “Anthropocene””, in Earth System Science In The Anthropocene (SpringerVerlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2006), 13.

2 Faisal Emetumah, “Modern Perspectives on Environmentalism: Ecocentrism and Technocentrism in the Nigerian Context”, 2.

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INTO TRADITION The Answer to the Mass Identity Crisis

Three decades ago, critical regionalism emerged as the “architecture of resistance”, concerning itself with creating architecture which is place based, rejecting the ‘cut and paste’ nature of the international style.1 Critical regionalism has faced criticism for being contradicting, as it aims to undo the colonialist practice of modernism, however critical regionalism still implies that there is a correct style that should be implemented to certain environments, and these are determined by architects who are often spectators and outside of the culture which it is being built in.2 It is then necessary to reflect upon who receives the right to design. The only

way this can be done is by requiring that the designer to have first hand experience living in that region to ensure that a design can grasp the cultural and environmental context of the region. Even better, is for designers to investigate their cultural heritage first and foremost as a means of fulfilling their duties as designers as well as fulfilling their own understanding of where they come from and strengthening their ties to culture. I am culturally pulled to my roots of Sweden and Japan, and these cultures have taught me to value design which displays the beauty of transience, irregularity, simplicity, resourcefulness, and welfare.

1 Kenneth Frampton, “20 Toward a Critical Regionalism: Six points for an architecture of resistance” in Postmodernism: a reader (1993), 268.

2 Keith Eggener, “Placing Resistance: A Critique Of Critical Regionalism”, in Journal Of Architectural Education (1984-), 55th ed. (Taylor & Francis, Ltd, 2002), 229-230

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TRANSIENCE Departing Permanence Towards Impermanence

Figure 1: Cherry Blossoms The Sakura blossoms are celebrated in Japan paritcularly for their transient beauty.

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Currently in the world, there is a misconception that permanence is resilience. But permanence has an Achilles heel in its inability to adapt. Adaptation is key to resilience, and our perceived need for permanence in aesthetics must change. The ancient Japanese philosophers understood the value of impermanence. “If man were never to fade away like the dews of Adashino, never to vanish like the smoke over Toribeyama, but lingered on forever in the world, how things would lose their power to move us! The most precious thing in life is its uncertainty.”1 Some ways in which the sentiment of honoring the transience of nature can be seen in season celebrations such as the cherry blossom festival as seen in Figure 1. There is a shared cultural knowledge that nature should be treated with a level of respect, and

this also reflected in the tradition of Shinto religion, where there is an understanding that God is found in nature.

Japanese vernacular construction, coupled with the development of aesthetic philosophy in Japan, has taught an important lesson that the built environment and society should value the organic and temporary nature of things.

The construction of buildings were traditionally made of timber. Such construction can be seen in Figure 2 with the Edo style construction of the timber houses. The construction systems were developed to become efficient as fires were a common threat to towns. In taking inspiration from the Japanese preference for transience, this makes room for adaptation and imperfection.

1 Donald Keene, “Japanese Aesthetics,” Philosophy East And West (University of Hawaii, 1969) 297.

Figure 2: Edo Period Style Japanese Dwelling The common dwelling was built using highly efficient construction techniques.

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IRREGULARITY Departing Control Towards Charm

Japanese aesthetics has a special sentiment for irregularity. This can be seen in the format of Haiku’s with their odd numbered syllabic phrases, the exaggerated brush strokes of calligraphy and the famous kintsugi gold repaired bowls. To the intellectual, the quality of imperfection is preferred over perfection as it holds the essence of humanity, showing the hand that crafted the work. The sand and stone garden at Ryoanji lacks symmetry and regularity, which is the very quality which makes it worthy of contemplation.1 It is precisely within irregularity where space is made for

1 Keene, “Japanese Aesthetics,” 300.

2 Keene, “Japanese Aesthetics,” 300.

3 Kerstin Wickman, “Scandinavian Design The Dream Is Still Alive”, Viewpoint Sweden, no. 16 (1996): 4.

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individuality. The perfectly roundly formed bowl is boring for it lacks any trace of individuality of the potter.2 That which is seen as ‘mistakes’ is embraced (Figure 3).

In this way, nature is a participating designer. Nature isn’t ‘controlled’ through being negated but rather is welcomed and even invited, delivering an ecocentric message.

In Swedish aesthetics, the handcrafted aesthetic is also sought after because it invites an aura of friendliness.3 It’s for this reason that even machine made goods incorporate an element of handcrafted look to them.

Figure 3: Kintsugi Bowl In Japan, the wear and tear of objects are not hidden, rather they are celebrated, such as through the process of highlighting the cracks of a ceramic usin gold.

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SIMPLICITY

Figure 4: Washi Paper Screen Light is able to softly filter through the paper screen sliding doors of the Japanese traditional style.

Departing Commodity Towards Restraint

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The Japanese reliance on electricity was not until the West introduced it to Japan. Now, almost all Japanese homes have electrical lamps, when prior to this there were candle lit lamps and level of accustom towards having darker interiors.1 There is a preference for materials to have a simple and unfinished look to showcase the beauty of the raw. The traditional Japanese paper sliding door screens are prevalent in dwellings, and the construction of these doors use mere washi paper and timber. The point is not to isolate one space from the other and block out light, rather it is desirable to see the soft filtered light to come through, as seen in figure 4. The natural quality of local materials are front and center. The natural finish of materials adheres

to the aesthetic values of simplicity and a sympathy for the natural, which is very ecocentric. Because of this value, this also conserves resources as the need for extreme processings and toxic varnishes are negated.

Simplicity can also be understood as minimalism. In Sweden, there is a societal sentiment which values minimalism as a philosophy and an aesthetic.2 One should not take more than what one feels is necessary. This shapes a worldview such that the Earth’s resources do not necessarily exist for human consumption, rather humans should be selective in terms of what they take from the Earth, which also gives more beauty to these objects because of the finite quality of the object.

1 Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, In Praise Of Shadows (Jonathan Cape, 1991), 15.

2 Christina Pech, “Arkitektur Och Motstånd: Om Sökandet Efter Alternativ I Svensk Arkitektur” (PhD, Stockholm, 2011).

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RESOURCEFULNESS Departing Single-Function Towards Multi-Function

Relating to the topic of minimalism, a particular characteristic of Swedish vernacular architecture is the need to be resourceful as a consequence of the small sizes of living units to warm the space effectively. With such small spaces for living, furniture within these spaces were developed to have multiple functions to maximise the functionality of each item (Figure 5). As a result of this, a minimal amount of building resources is used, and this makes the timber highly efficient.

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Figure 5: Metamorphic Gustavian Furniture This vintage Swedish side table (above) doubles as a chair (below), making it adaptable for different needs and space saving.

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WELFARE Departing Elitism Towards Democracy

The aesthetic of scandinavian design propogates an idea of welfare. A ‘subtle register circulating around Swedish design and its objects, is that which concerns the “social democratic” morality of everyday goods’.1 Good design wasn’t something to be seen as exclusively available to the rich, rather this is a good that the common folk have the right to as well, and this is seen even today with the affordability of design due to its availability at various price points.2 The design of household goods also often have a level of playfulness to them, which can be seen in the example of figure 6, with the affordable design of the stacking glasses which have varies sizes to them,

making a simple object subtly fun to interact with. Everyone has a right to good design, and this is historically rooted in the tradition of democracy. Associations and public debates of small communities which had sprung up around the iron works, glass works and saw mills provided schooling in the pragmatic, democratic tradition.3 Scandinavia tended not to see design as an exclusive commodity, partially due to the fact that class divisions have always been less pronounced in Scandinavia relative to other countries. The lifestyle of the upper classes was simple and their demeanor not that different from that of the common folk.4

1 Keith M. Murphy, “Introduction: Disentangling Swedish Design” in Swedish Design An Ethnography (New York: Cornell University Press, 2015), 4.

2 Murphy, “Introduction: Disentangling Swedish Design”, 5.

3 Wickman, “Scandinavian Design”, 3.

4 Wickman, “Scandinavian Design”, 3.

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Figure 6: Playfully Designed Stacking Glasses An example of everyday Scandinavian design which is made to be affodrable and playful is the “Same Same But Different” sweries by Muuto

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FINAL WORDS Ecocentrism as the Only Reliable Worldview

The world is at an unprecedented level of globalisation, which has unleashed a mass identity crisis.

We are increasingly losing touch of where we come from and allowing ourselves to be distracted by the constant push to challenge the limits of human growth. No wonder we feel lost trying to find what a sustainable future might look like for our cities; we are losing the plot.

Part of the reason why we have lost our plot is our disconnection to the shared cultural knowledge.

Each culture is founded on a set of virtues built upon ideas of working with nature and respecting it. In my yearn to connect to my roots, I have found the aesthetics of transience, irregularity, simplicity, resourcefulness, and welfare which showcase values which are rooted in ecocentrism. If these cultures were to incorporate more vernacular archetypes back into the built environment, not only would

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that make for spatially unique experiences to those particular places, but also the users can consciously and subconsciously engage with the ecocentric sentiments which these vernacular aesthetics reflect. Globalisation has veiled society to falsely learn that humans are apart from nature and that technocentrism will solve the wicked issues of the Anthropocene.

We must actively design our environments to incorporate a level of critical regionalism to remind users that they are, again, a part of nature, reinstating the ecocentric mindset. The regionalist architecture should be reminiscent of the traditional vernacular architecture of the place, which will inherently deepen the connection between the individuals in that space with their cultural and natural context, which ultimately reflect an ecocentric aesthetic sentiment.

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LIST OF FIGURES

Cover Art - Blue Watercolor Swells: Ueda, Miki. 2020. Blue Watercolor Swells. Watercolor on Paper. Melbourne.

Figure 1 - Cherry Blossoms: Ueda, Miki. 2020. Cherry Blossoms. Watercolor on Paper. Melbourne.

Figure 2 - Edo Period Style Japanese Dwelling: Hiroshige. 1834. The Famous Teahouse At Mariko. Ukiyo-e Woodblock Print.

Tokyo: Ukiyo-e.org.

Figure 3 - Kintsugi Bowl: Ueda, Miki. 2020. Kintsugi Bowl. Watercolor on Paper. Melbourne.

Figure 4 - Washi Paper Screen: Ueda, Miki. 2020. Washi Paper Screen. Watercolor on Paper. Melbourne.

Figure 5 - Metamorphic Gustavian Furniture: Ueda, Miki. 2020. Metamorphic Gustavian Furniture. Watercolor on Paper.

Melbourne.

Figure 6 - Playfully Designed Stacking Glasses: Ueda, Miki. 2020. Playfully Designed Stacking Glasses. Watercolor on Paper.

Melbourne.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Crutzen, P. J. 2006. The “Anthropocene”. Edited by E. Ehlers and T. Krafft. N.p.: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://link. springer.com/chapter/10.1007/3-540-26590-2_3#citeas.

Eggener, Keith L. “Placing Resistance: A Critique of Critical Regionalism.” Journal of Architectural Education (1984-) 55, no. 4 (2002): 228-37. Accessed October 16, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1425724.

Emetumah, Faisal. 2017. “Modern Perspectives On Environmentalism: Ecocentrism And Technocentrism In The Nigerian Context”. Asian Research Journal Of Arts & Social Sciences 2 (4): 1-9. doi:10.9734/arjass/2017/32821.

Frampton, Kenneth. “20 Toward a Critical Regionalism: Six points for an architecture of resistance.” Postmodernism: a reader 268 (1993).

Keene, Donald. 1969. “Japanese Aesthetics”. Philosophy East And West 19 (3): 293-306. doi:10.2307/1397586.

Mårdh, Hedvig. “A Century Of Swedish Gustavian Style: Art History, Cultural Heritage And Neoclassical Revivals From The 1890S To The 1990S”. Ars Suetica, no. 24 (2017): 1-410. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record. jsf?pid=diva2%3A1083268&dswid=8423.

Murphy, Keith M. 2015. “Introduction: Disentangling Swedish Design” in Swedish Design An Ethnography. New York: Cornell University Press.

Pech, Christina. “Arkitektur Och Motstånd: Om Sökandet Efter Alternativ I Svensk Arkitektur ”. PhD, Stockholm, 2011.

Pelkonen, Eeva-Liisa. 2013. “What About SPACE?”. In (Non) Essential Knowledge For (New) Architecture, 15th ed.

Skou, Niels Peter, and Anders V. Munch. 2016. “New Nordic And Scandinavian Retro: Reassessment Of Values And Aesthetics In Contemporary Nordic Design”. Journal Of Aesthetics & Culture 8 (1): 1-11. doi:10.3402/jac.v8.32573.

Tanizaki, Jun’ichirō. In Praise Of Shadows. Jonathan Cape, 1991.

Watson, Julia. 2020. Lo--TEK. Design By Radical Indigenism. TASCHEN. Wickman, Kerstin. “Scandinavian Design The Dream Is Still Alive”. Viewpoint Sweden, no. 16 (1996): 1-6. https://babel. hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.30000060639626&view=1up&seq=2.

Word count: 1795

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