From Aesthetics to Design: Sustainability of Wabi-sabi in Ceramic Product Design in the Contemporary Context
Abstract
In recent years, wabi-sabi has become a popular trend in product design. While consumerism encourages the masses to pursue ‘perfection,’ ‘luxury,’ and ‘sophistication,’ a materialism that is detrimental to human well-being and the environment, the wabi-sabi aesthetic The acceptance of ‘imperfection,’ ‘incompleteness,’ and ‘impermanence’ in the concept of wabi-sabi helps to alleviate the pervasive social anxiety and establish a positive mental state. Notably, in the contemporary context, wabi-sabi is no longer confined to Japanese philosophy and aesthetics, but has become a global design trend. Wabi-sabi aesthetics is closely related to the concept of sustainable design, yet there is little theoretical knowledge about its sustainability in product design. Based on this premise, this paper discusses the transformation of wabi-sabi from aesthetics to design in a contemporary context and its sustainability in ceramic product design through background research and theoretical understanding of sustainable product design. Ultimately, this paper develops theoretically insightful knowledge of sustainable design for ceramic products to help potential ceramic designers and producers understand the wabi-sabi aesthetic from a sustainable design perspective.
References
Cooper, T. M. (2018). The wabi sabi way: antidote for a dualistic culture?. Journal of Conscious
Evolution, 10(10), 4.
da Silva, J. A. T. (2012). Wabi-Sabi: A Way for Science (and the World) to Rediscover Itself.
Davies, A. (2016). Cross-Cultural Design: A Visual Approach to Understanding Japanese WabiSabi (Doctoral dissertation, Yüksek Lisans Tezi, ABD: Texas, St. Edward’s University).
Koren, L. (2008). Wabi-sabi for artists, designers, poets & philosophers. Imperfect Publishing.
Arp, R. (Ed.). (2013). 1001 ideas that changed the way we think. Simon and Schuster.
Kempton, B. (2018). Wabi Sabi: Japanese wisdom for a perfectly imperfect life. Hachette UK.
Łaziuk, K. (2020). A Remedy for Perfectionism of Modern Western Culture or the Latest Design Trend?
The Western Understanding of Japanese Wabi and Sabi Aesthetics. Intercultural Relations, 4(2 (8)),
97-106.
Zhou, R. & Gao, S. (2019). A Study of the Aesthetic Concept and Transformation of Wabi-sabi Culture
in Contemporary Product Design. Packaging Engineering, 40(4),146-150.
Dai, S. (2019). ‘Ontological Sabi’ and ‘Natural Sabi’: The Theory of ‘Sabi’ in the Perspective of
Comparative Philosophy between China and Japan. Journal of Sichuan University (Philosophy and
Social Science Edition). 244, 50-57.
Gold, T. (2010). Living Wabi Sabi: The True Beauty of Your Life. Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Grigss, L. R. (2001). Wabi-sabi: The Art of Imperfection. Utne Reader, October 9. Retrieved October
10, 2019, from https://www.utne.com/mind-and-body/Wabi-sabi.
Suzuki, D. T. (2019). Zen and Japanese culture (Vol. 334). Princeton University Press.
Kubiak Ho-Chi, B. (2009). Estetyka i sztuka japońska. Wybrane zagadnienia. Kraków: Universitas.
Walker, S., Evans, M., & Mullagh, L. (2019). Meaningful practices: The contemporary relevance of
traditional making for sustainable material futures. Craft Research, 10(2), 183-210.
Juniper, A. (2003). Wabi sabi: The Japanese art of impermanence. North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle
Publishing.
Flowers, J. C. (2011). Aware as a theory of Japanese aesthetics. Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale.
Lin, C. (2020). Study of Wabi-Sabi by Literature Books’ Cover Design Department of Design. M.A.
Thesis. National Taiwan Normal
Reijnders, A. (2005). The ceramic process: a manual and source of inspiration for ceramic art and
design. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Hammill, S. (2016). Technical: Kintsugi. Journal of Australian Ceramics, The, 55(3), 70-73.
Lee, R. (2022). The Influence of Zen on Contemporary Aesthetics in Decorative Arts and Interior
Design (Doctoral dissertation, Sotheby’s Institute of Art-New York).
Posthuma, K. M. (2016). Kintsugi: a new framework for post-industrial transformation (Doctoral
dissertation, University of Maryland, College Park).
Santini, C. (2019). Kintsugi: Finding strength in imperfection. Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Tan, K. M. Y. (2021). The Re-educational Centre: Beauty Through the Lens of Imperfection (Doctoral
dissertation, ResearchSpace@ Auckland).
Richman-Abdou, K. (2022). Kintsugi: The Centuries-Old Art of Repairing Broken Pottery with Gold.
MY MODERN MET. Retrieved 5 March 2022, from: https://mymodernmet.com/kintsugikintsukuroi/
Garachon, I. (2010). Old repairs of china and glass. The Rijksmuseum Bulletin, 58(1), 34-55
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
UiTM Press (the Publisher) has agreed to publish the undersigned author’s paper in Idealogy Journal. The agreement is contingent upon the fulfilment of a number of requirements listed below.
1. The undersigned author warrants that the paper entitled below is original, that it is not in any way libellous or unlawful in Malaysia, that it does not infringe any copyright or other proprietary right. The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that he/she is the author of the paper, except for material that is clearly identified as to its original source, with permission notices from the copyright owners where required. The undersigned represents that he/she has the power and authority to sign and execute this agreement.
2. The undersigned author warrants that the paper entitled below has not been published elsewhere, and also it will not be submitted anywhere else for publication prior to acceptance/rejection by this Journal.
3. By submitting the paper entitled below, the undersigned author agrees to transfer the rights to publish and distribute the paper in an international e-journal (entitled above) to Publisher.
4. The undersigned author agrees to make a reasonable effort to conform to Publisher's submission guidelines and to liaise with the editor to ensure that the requirements of these guidelines are met to a reasonable degree.
5. The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsibility for releasing this material on behalf of any and all coauthors. This agreement is to be signed by at least one of the authors who has obtained the assent of the co-author(s) where applicable. After submission of this agreement signed by the corresponding author, changes of authorship or in the order of the authors listed will not be accepted.
